One of the fascinating storylines of the 2025 System 1 season is Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari, because the seven-time world champion embarks on a quest to safe his eighth title with the long-lasting Maranello workforce. This marks a major chapter in his illustrious profession, with Hamilton probably turning into the primary driver in F1 historical past since Jack Brabham to assert a championship on the age of 40. As he continues to construct upon his outstanding legacy, Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari is ready to be a significant point of interest of the upcoming season.
To formally start their partnership, Ferrari will host a personal take a look at for Hamilton in late January, simply after his departure from Mercedes on the finish of December. It will mark a major milestone, because it represents the primary time Hamilton has joined a workforce outdoors the UK all through his whole F1 profession. This distinctive shift comes with its personal set of challenges, together with the language barrier. Nevertheless, whereas Hamilton shouldn’t be endeavor Italian classes like his predecessor, Sebastian Vettel, there’s one technique he’s adopting to assist ease communication along with his new workforce.
When Sebastian Vettel joined the Maranello workforce again in 2015, he acknowledged the significance of efficient communication and thus enrolled in Italian classes to foster a greater relationship along with his engineers and workforce members. This proactive method allowed him to beat any linguistic hurdles and helped him bond with the workforce extra seamlessly. Lewis Hamilton, however, shouldn’t be following the identical route of language classes however is as a substitute specializing in a distinct methodology to bridge the communication hole along with his Ferrari engineers. As revealed by journalist Ben Hunt on the JA on F1 podcast, Lewis Hamilton has discovered an alternate method that he believes shall be simply as efficient in constructing rapport with the workforce, permitting him to deal with the duty at hand.
Ben Hunt defined that the British driver is making an effort to be taught, although he’s not taking any formal lessons. As a substitute, he shall be specializing in studying phrases.
Lewis Hamilton is ready to collaborate with Riccardo Adami, a extremely skilled engineer, as his race engineer at Ferrari, marking the top of his longstanding partnership with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, which spanned over a decade. This transformation shall be vital for Lewis Hamilton, as will probably be the primary time in his F1 profession that he’ll work with a race engineer whose first language shouldn’t be English. Regardless of the potential language barrier, Adami brings a wealth of expertise to the desk, having labored with notable drivers similar to Sebastian Vettel and, extra lately, Carlos Sainz.
As Hamilton embarks on this new chapter with Ferrari, Anthony Davidson expressed optimism that the transfer might reignite the “magic” for Lewis Hamilton, particularly after his visibly disheartened efficiency throughout the latter a part of his closing races with Mercedes. The hope is that the recent atmosphere and new dynamic inside the Ferrari workforce will present Hamilton with the motivation and power wanted to regain his aggressive edge.
Looking forward to the 2025 season, Hamilton shall be keen to hold ahead the progress Ferrari made with their 2024 automobile. The workforce achieved some promising breakthroughs in the direction of the top of the season, and Hamilton shall be hopeful that these enhancements may be constructed upon within the upcoming 12 months. With 2025 being the ultimate 12 months earlier than the key rule modifications in 2026, this may very well be a pivotal season for Hamilton as he goals to take advantage of the present laws and additional solidify his legacy within the sport.