Lewis Hamilton is simply weeks away from making his official debut as a Ferrari driver at the Australian Grand Prix, a second that has been over a 12 months within the making since he introduced his shock departure from Mercedes forward of the 2024 season. Ferrari finds itself within the strongest place it has been in for a while, with a real likelihood at difficult for the drivers’ championship this season.
For the primary time in years, the Scuderia boasts a star-studded lineup, with Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, becoming a member of forces with the gifted Charles Leclerc, a two-time Italian Grand Prix winner. This pairing has generated immense pleasure amongst Ferrari followers, because the workforce appears to be like to capitalize on their strengthened roster.
Nonetheless, Anthony Davidson has cautioned Hamilton concerning the problem that lies forward as he adapts to Ferrari’s energy unit, marking the primary time in his illustrious 18-year Components 1 profession that he won’t be behind the wheel of a Mercedes-powered automobile. The British driver might want to alter to the distinctive traits of Ferrari’s engine, together with its drivability and energy supply, which is able to undoubtedly be a big change for Hamilton.
As Hamilton will get to grips along with his new workforce and automobile, it is going to take a while earlier than he’s totally able to competing on the entrance of the pack persistently. Eddie Jordan has already suggested the Monegasque to capitalize on the early a part of the season to construct a bonus over Hamilton in what is predicted to be a tricky 24-race marketing campaign. The pair will first expertise the SF-25 on the Fiorano circuit on February 19, simply someday after the F175 dwell present in London’s O2 Area, which is able to mark Ferrari’s official launch occasion for the brand new automobile.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the British driver’s arrival on the Maranello workforce has led the workforce to shift their focus, and that the precedence might now not be totally on Charles Leclerc. The previous Williams driver means that the workforce’s technique and method might now be tailor-made round Lewis Hamilton’s strengths and expertise, probably altering the dynamic throughout the workforce as they put together for the challenges of the 2025 season.
Juan Pablo Montoya steered that the state of affairs at Ferrari might turn out to be considerably awkward, given how every part would unfold. The Colombian racing driver, who competed in Components One from 2001 to 2006, identified that the workforce had at all times prioritized Charles’ success, however now they’d be focusing closely on guaranteeing Lewis performs properly. He additionally expressed the view that it wouldn’t make sense for Ferrari to rent Lewis Hamilton, conduct assessments, after which focus extra on Charles’ wants than on what the workforce truly requires.
Throughout Ferrari’s Pirelli tyre check at Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc resumed motion after Hamilton’s crash earlier within the session. Each drivers gathered helpful information on Pirelli’s 2026 tyres, contributing to the workforce’s preparations for the upcoming season.
McLaren additionally participated within the testing, with Lando Norris taking to the monitor in an older automobile. Norris accomplished a powerful 159 laps, setting a benchmark that was greater than seven-tenths quicker than the perfect occasions set by Hamilton and Leclerc. Nonetheless, the context behind these lap occasions is essential, because the testing situations and different variables might have performed a big function.
What stood out extra was the slight benefit Hamilton had over Leclerc, managing to set a time simply over one-tenth faster regardless of each drivers finishing almost the identical variety of laps (87 for Lewis Hamilton and 86 for Charles Leclerc). This final result is a promising indicator as Ferrari appears to be like forward to the pre-season check in Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit, which is simply two weeks away. The workforce is keen to make a powerful begin with their revamped automobile, which has undergone vital modifications over the winter break.
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