When Lewis Hamilton placed on his Ferrari race swimsuit for the primary time forward of his maiden check for the staff final month, he wanted a second to regulate to his new look.
Whereas placing on a set of overalls is automated for racing drivers, accomplished 1000’s of occasions via their careers, donning the enduring purple of Ferrari is an honor bestowed on so few. And after 12 years within the silver and black of Mercedes, this was an enormous change for Hamilton.
Finally, he was in Ferrari purple. The joy and anticipation he felt had been lengthy within the making. Now, after F1’s season launch in London and his first check within the 2025 automobile, it’s a actuality.
Such surprise is one thing solely Ferrari can stir. Regardless of what number of world championships or races you win, the sensation of being a part of F1’s most famed, profitable staff is unmatched. It’s what made Hamilton wish to make the transfer and why he has radiated pleasure since beginning at Maranello in the midst of January.
Nearing the brand new season and the official begin of his subsequent chapter, Hamilton’s enthusiasm has proven zero signal of subsiding. After a sobering remaining 12 months with Mercedes that appeared to sap among the fizz from his love for F1, typically hamstrung by an underperforming automobile, Hamilton has a recent spring in his step.
He’s revitalized. Renewed. And, importantly, he’s hopeful the record-breaking eighth world championship he got here inside one lap of profitable in 2021 is inside his sights as soon as once more at Ferrari.
“They’ve obtained completely each ingredient they should win a world championship,” Hamilton mentioned. “It’s nearly placing all of the items collectively.”
Adjusting to a brand new setting isn’t one thing Hamilton has performed so much throughout his F1 profession.
In contrast to extra journeymen F1 drivers — on Tuesday, Carlos Sainz famous he’s pushed for half the grid in 10 years — Hamilton is shifting to only his third staff. It will likely be the primary time he has pushed with out Mercedes engines and the primary time he’s not racing for an English staff.
“This step is big,” Hamilton mentioned on Wednesday after his first check in Ferrari’s new automobile. “It couldn’t be any larger.” There’s been loads of adjustment, starting from the vibration of the Ferrari engine behind him to the totally different steering wheel features and processes. Hamilton feels a newfound appreciation for drivers who’ve made these switches and been profitable instantly, however he’s embracing the change.
“Day by day, I’m experiencing one thing new, which truly is absolutely thrilling,” Hamilton mentioned.
That features studying Italian. Whereas Ferrari conducts all of its conferences in English, Hamilton began taking Italian classes final 12 months to work together higher along with his mechanics and engineers, like chit-chatting about day-to-day life. Studying a brand new language has at all times been one in every of Hamilton’s goals. He even gave a speech in Italian at Ferrari’s manufacturing facility final week and is keen to immerse himself in Italian tradition — together with the meals. “Final week, I had three pizzas,” Hamilton revealed, noting that whereas he has certainly misplaced weight, he knew he couldn’t hold that up.
Vasseur and Hamilton debuted the SF-25 at F1 75 Dwell on Tuesday. (Sam Bloxham/Getty Photos)
The trouble Hamilton has made along with his new colleagues has not gone unnoticed. On his first day visiting the manufacturing facility, he tried to satisfy and shake arms with all 1,500 staff members. “He’s fairly superb with individuals,” mentioned Jerome d’Ambrosio, Ferrari’s new deputy staff principal who labored with Hamilton at Mercedes. “The staff already loves him after the primary day.”
Hamilton has additionally loved many elements that make Ferrari distinctive, reminiscent of having all the staff underneath one roof — Mercedes’ engine facility was a 40-minute drive from the F1 staff headquarters — and even a check observe on its doorstep.
Hamilton can also be already working nicely along with his new teammate, Charles Leclerc. Whereas the pair had chatted previously, it was solely upon Hamilton’s official begin at Ferrari that they may begin working collectively. They’re already taking part in video games of chess in opposition to one another, even throughout Tuesday’s F1 75 Dwell occasion at The O2 — Hamilton is 3-2 up, in keeping with Leclerc. They’re exhibiting indicators of a great partnership.
“The primary weeks of collaboration between the 2 is mega-good,” mentioned Ferrari staff principal Fred Vasseur. “I’m not stunned in any respect. We’re beginning in superb form now. Crucial factor is to maintain this relationship, to proceed to work as a staff, and to push as a staff.”
Vasseur mentioned Hamilton was the “good match” for Ferrari proper now, whereas Leclerc thought the Briton was becoming a member of on the splendid level because the staff’s mentality is now stronger than ever, partly because of Vasseur’s management. Now not in a rebuild, the championship is a practical objective for Ferrari.
“The very fact Lewis has joined the staff has been an enormous increase and has been superb in so some ways,” Leclerc mentioned. “However I really feel just like the staff may be very, very calm and really calm and really clear in what’s the route to work in and never getting too affected by every little thing that is occurring across the staff. That’s extraordinarily necessary and nice to see.”
What issues most is how Hamilton performs when the brand new F1 season begins and the way Ferrari compares to the competitors.
Hamilton was adamant Ferrari had all of the components to win the world championship for the primary time since 2008. The staff solely fell 14 factors shy of the constructors’ crown final 12 months, shedding to McLaren. An extremely superb margin — however a decisive one. Coming into a season the place Vasseur expects 4 groups to be in rivalry for race wins, each final thousandth of a second will matter.
“It’s not a matter of fixing the automobile utterly or no matter,” mentioned Vasseur. “If we’re capable of deliver a small little bit of efficiency on one or two subjects, it’s already an enormous step ahead. And Lewis is coming along with his personal expertise, along with his personal background. He’ll assist the staff to develop in each single space.”
Ferrari opted for one main design change with its 2025 automobile: switching from a push-rod suspension to a pull-rod design, believing it could clear up the airflow across the automobile and permit for higher aerodynamic growth after it had exhausted all areas with final 12 months’s mannequin. Though the SF-25 is an evolution of final 12 months’s mannequin and the general automobile idea stays the identical, decreasing the training curve the staff will undergo, each single half is new.
Even when Hamilton has confidence in Ferrari’s title-winning potential, he famous simply how fierce the competitors is ready to be this 12 months. “It’s far too early to know what the 12 months goes to be like,” Hamilton mentioned. “What we do know is that it’s going to be very shut between the highest groups. We’ve not seen the opposite vehicles; we’ve not been on the observe with the opposite vehicles.”
Lewis Hamilton greets followers on the finish of the day’s operating at Fiorano Circuit on February 19, 2025. (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Photos)
An eighth drivers’ title is the objective, however Hamilton’s appreciation for Ferrari runs deep and he is aware of how important ending the staff’s title drought shall be — if something, extra important given how invested everybody at Maranello (and throughout Italy) is to make it occur. “That’s what I’m working in direction of,” he mentioned. “I don’t take into consideration the quantity eight. I’m desirous about the primary championship that the staff has gained for a while.”
Hamilton is aware of how a lot laborious work nonetheless lies forward to prepare for the brand new season, however the spark he has rediscovered with this transfer to Ferrari is apparent from each single interplay. It has given him a recent lease of life in some ways. At 40, there isn’t any signal he is considering how his F1 profession could finish. He feels younger and stays in peak bodily situation. And this new venture is barely spurring him on.
“The vitality that I’m receiving from the staff, there’s magic right here,” Hamilton mentioned. “It’s going to nonetheless take a whole lot of laborious work and grafting from completely everybody and everyone seems to be placing that in already to attain it.
“Nevertheless it’s additionally about perception. Everybody right here goals of profitable with Ferrari, each single particular person on this staff.”
After a troublesome few years, that perception is coming again to Lewis Hamilton. The approaching weeks will reveal simply how real his title chances are high in his first 12 months in purple. However for now, issues really feel good.
“I do know I’m precisely the place I’m speculated to be,” Hamilton mentioned. “It feels pure, it feels proper.”
(High picture of Lewis Hamilton: Sam Bloxham/Getty Photos)
