Securing the top position during the morning session of the second pre-season testing, Lewis Hamilton is beginning to form a connection with his new ride, the Ferrari 2025 Formula 1 car. Having shifted gears from his long-standing collaboration with Mercedes, Hamilton is now preparing for his inaugural season with Ferrari.
His final year with Mercedes was fraught with difficulties, with Hamilton grappling to adapt to the erratic performance of the W15 car, which ultimately resulted in a loss to teammate George Russell. This has led to doubts about whether the British racing driver will be able to recover his innate velocity in this fresh setting. However, Hamilton seems content with the progress so far.
Hamilton’s second stint in Bahrain with the SF-25 concluded with him setting the fastest time, although this record was later surpassed by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, the man he replaced. Yet, the multiple F1 champion is optimistic, stating that he is gradually becoming attuned to Ferrari’s latest offering, a vehicle he hopes will carry him to an unprecedented eighth title victory.
“I am really enjoying the car. We’re slowly bonding,” Hamilton shared. He also added that while the previous day was mediocre, they were able to complete their run-plan, even though he wasn’t directing any setup changes or guiding the car’s development. The day provided him with an opportunity to delve deeper into coordinating with his engineer.
Owing to a lack of any unpleasant surprises with the SF-25, Ferrari’s spirits are high. The driving responsibilities were shared again after the one-hour break, with Charles Leclerc taking the wheel and securing the third position, just 0.052 seconds behind Hamilton.
Prima del suo turno al volante, il pilota con sede a Monaco ha rivelato che il team di Maranello non ha ancora incontrato sorprese sgradevoli con il loro contendente rinnovato. Tuttavia, ha aggiunto una parola di cautela, affermando: “È solo un test. Tutti stanno nascondendo le loro vere prestazioni, ma la sensazione è piuttosto buona. Nessuna brutta sorpresa, ma è troppo presto per giudicare [le] prestazioni.”
Mentre il mondo osserva e specula, resta da vedere se il trasferimento di Hamilton alla Ferrari porterà il successo che spera. Questa nuova alleanza porterà a un ottavo titolo mondiale per Hamilton, o sarà un’altra stagione di aggiustamenti e apprendimento? Una cosa è certa, il viaggio sarà emozionante da seguire.
