Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is relishing his time in the driver’s seat of the Ferrari SF-25, describing the vehicle as highly receptive to his touch. This update follows the completion of Day 2 of the pre-season testing in Bahrain, where Hamilton impressively finished second on the overall leaderboard. He trailed behind Carlos Sainz while his teammate Charles Leclerc secured both Ferraris a spot in the top three.
With his eyes set on his inaugural Ferrari Grand Prix in Melbourne, Hamilton took the Ferrari SF-25 for a spin on the second day of the Bahrain F1 2025 pre-season testing. His stint in the morning was followed by Leclerc taking over in the afternoon. It’s important to remember that testing times can be misleading due to varying run plans, but Hamilton’s key takeaway from Day 2 was the SF-25’s responsiveness to his commands.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Hamilton expressed his early enthusiasm for the car. “It’s a bit early to say but I’m really enjoying the car. We’re slowly bonding,” he stated. He further mentioned that the previous day was a satisfactory one, during which they successfully completed their run plan.
Hamilton explained that he wasn’t focusing on setup changes or directing the car’s trajectory, but rather going through the motions. The day provided him with an opportunity to better understand his interaction with his engineer and the car itself. He particularly enjoyed the process of learning how the SF-25 likes to be driven, which he notes is different from his past experiences.
He also shared his journey of relearning the new mode of operation and how the car likes to be driven, which he finds really exciting. He acknowledged that there is still room for exploration and is looking forward to extracting a bit more each time. Hamilton also noted the difference in settings, specifically brake bias, from his previous car.
Despite the changes, Hamilton felt positive about his experience, stating, “I feel that the car is responding to my inputs. Today was a positive day, and making those incremental steps with the set-up. There’s still more work to do.”
The second day of testing in Bahrain was impacted by unusually cold and rainy weather, which somewhat complicated the track action. Charles Leclerc conceded that such conditions make it challenging to draw significant conclusions from the day.
Leclerc described the day’s difficulties, “It was more tricky today on track because of what are unusual weather conditions for Bahrain, with cooler temperatures and even some rain.” Despite the challenging conditions, he assured that they managed to execute their planned program. However, with the rapidly changing conditions, drawing many conclusions proved difficult.
Looking ahead, Leclerc stated, “Tonight we are fully focused on analyzing our data and preparing for the last day of testing tomorrow.” Despite the testing challenges, the Ferrari team demonstrated resilience and adaptability, setting the stage for an exciting racing season ahead.
