Last Updated on February 25 2025, 6:08 pm
Lewis Hamilton has a smile on his face and is “invigorated” and “full of energy” as he faces the new challenge of racing for Ferrari in Formula One this year. The Scuderia have had the seven times world champion testing previous year cars to the fullest extent of the FIA regulations in an attempt to familiarise Lewis with his race crew.
Yet come the big day when the Ferrari 2025 car was rolled out for its first test – sorry, ‘filming day’ – it seems the seven tines world champion was not on his A game. The test was held behind closed doors yet a motor racing circuit is a difficult place to prevent prying eyes.
Spanish publication Marca and Italy’s Repubblica had their spies out in the field armed with stopwatches which revealed Charles Leclerc was eight tenths quicker than his new team mate in the same car, on the same day, in the same conditions.
Ferrari chief unconcerned over Lewis’ lack of pace
The super sleuth recorded Leclerc with a best lap time of 56.06 seconds, the second quickest ever at the Ferrari owned venue. The only driver ever to have gone quicker around Fiorano was Michael Schumacher way back in 2004.
Ferrari has a new technical boss who along with Hamilton left Mercedes for Maranello, Loic Serra. His claim that he is not concerned about his 40 year old drivers current pace adds weight to the evidence gathered by the super sleuths.
“It does not scare me,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Lewis is an extraordinary driver who is always hungry for new challenges,” the French engineer added. “I am sure that at Ferrari he will be as fast as in his best years at the top of Formula 1.”
Hamilton has been candid about the period of time it will take for him to fully familiarise himself with the Ferrari F1 car given he has for his entire career been powered by Mercedes engines.
The challenge of driving a new F1 car
“Everything is different,” said Lewis, “and it’s not often that any car suits you straight away. But I don’t think I’ll need to change my driving style. My [driving] style is quite similar to Charles’ and I’m already comfortable and gradually adapting.”
Carlos Sainz has made the reverse move to Hamilton, leaving Ferrari to drive a Mercedes powered Williams F1 car. The Spaniard has now driven for half the teams on the grid which speaks volumes to his ability to adapt.
“It definitely has given me a lot of experience and a lot of information of how different teams work, [how] different organisations can work and different cultures. Definitely this is the biggest switch, from an Italian base back to a British-based team,” he revealed at F175.
When pushed on the challenge posed by driving a new F1 car with a different power unit in the back, Sainz explained: “I can talk a bit about [the post-season test in] Abu Dhabi and how [those] first laps went. Definitely I think [the thing] you feel the most when you change teams, the moment there’s a power unit involved, is the power unit.”
Ferrari ‘trick floor’ already tested
Media hype now surrounds Ferrari
Carlos has experienced all the F1 power unit manufacturer’s offerings bar Honda and says first time out with a different make can be a confusing experience. “The noises, the vibrations, the sound – everything just changes completely, so even if I went out of the pits trying to understand the aerodynamics and the tyres and the feeling on the mechanical side of the car on the aero, the only thing I had to adapt in the first few laps was how different a power unit can be, so that’s probably the biggest change.”
As for Charles Leclerc, he has been the Ferrari darling since joining in 2019 but now that Hamilton is in town, he has become eclipsed by the media hype surrounding the seven times champion. “There is always a lot of attention around Ferrari,” he told L’Equipe, “but it’s true that with Lewis’ arrival, it’s even more enormous. But it’s understandable – we’re talking about a legend of our sport.”
Yet instead of competing for attention Leclerc is simply getting his head down and doing what he needs to do. In some ways it could relieve the pressure from the Monegasque driver who may be accused of under delivering with 26 pole positions yet just eight Grand Prix victories.
“It hasn’t changed my approach. Yes, Lewis’ arrival makes things a bit crazy and pushes the media to follow us more than usual, but I have prepared as I always have, trying to improve each and every winter,” said Leclerc.
Will Hamilton quit?
There have been rumours that should Hamilton fail to match his team mate this year, as happened during much of his time at Mercedes with George Russell, the new kid on the block in Maranello will quit Formula One.
Ex-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Lewis will not complete the full term of his new deal with Ferrari, reasoning the huge success he has had in Formula One means his hunger for more has been diminished.
On a positive note, Lewis has been reunited with his friend and physio Angela Cullen who mysteriously left the Hamilton entourage in 2023 just two races into the year. Cullen played a key role in helping Hamilton win four consecutive titles between 2017 and 2020, before the controversial end to the 2021 campaign which denied him a record-breaking eighth championship.
Verstappen’s mam quits Red Bull
Massa challenges Hamilton’s first F1 title
Whilst Lewis believes he was robbed of the coveted eight F1 drivers’ championship in 2021, his first with McLaren in 2008 is now under dispute by Felipe Massa. The High Court in London will hear the Brazilian’s case in October this year with the Brazilian driver seeking compensation from the FIA over its handling of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Renault manipulated the outcome of the race, and the FIA should have scratched the result from that year’s competition claims Massa. His petition was made following revelations from the then F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that both he and the FIA president at the time knew about Renault’s cheating.
We the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix results excluded from the final standings at the end of the season, Massa not Hamilton would have been the champion driver and Ferrari would have more silverware in their trophy cabinet in Maranello.
FIA president follows Trump’s lead to appease Russia
The invasion of Ukraine by the aggressor Russia three years ago today one February 24th 2022, saw Formula One take decisive action with almost immediate effect. The Uk almost immediately banned Russian drivers from competing within its territories and the US owned Haas F1 team found itself in rather a pickle.
They had hired the son of a Russian oligarch, Nikita Mazepin as one of their full time drivers for the season yet as the first missiles were fired on Kyiv, Haas were given some breathing space given this was day two of the test and their Russian driver was not scheduled to drive their car.
Haas F1 were primarily sponsored by Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, the owner of Uralkali, who had ironically influenced the design of the team’s livery to resemble the Russian flag. As the massed ranks of Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine, Formula One was undertaking its pre-season testing in Barcelona…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
