Lewis Hamilton has officially arrived at the scene for Ferrari and can now look forward to pre-season testing in Bahrain next week.
Ferrari unveiled their SF25 challenger to fans at Formula 1’s F175 launch event in London, where Hamilton made his first public appearance in red.
The Brit then had to fly back to Italy with teammate Charles Leclerc to be ready for their first run in the new car at the Fiorano test track in the morning.
It’s hoped that winter developments have boosted their chances of ending a 17-year title drought this season after falling 14 points short of the constructors’ championship in 2024.
Hamilton called his first weeks at Ferrari ‘tough,’ but moving to a new country with a new language to learn was never going to be a piece of cake.
According to Gerhard Berger, Hamilton gives Ferrari a boost that Leclerc cannot, with rival engineers more likely to join them. It could be valuable to their future efforts.
Lewis Hamilton shares first Italian message for Ferrari F1 fans
Hamilton’s first race for Ferrari will come at the Australian Grand Prix between March 14 and 16. It’s a race that the Scuderia won last year with Carlos Sainz.
There are no guarantees that they will be competing for victory there again, but their car has only improved since then.
Their development through the season was impressive and left them in contention for victory even at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Gerhard Berger diminishes Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari advantage as Lewis Hamilton knows ‘how to win’
Ferrari completed a fundamental factory upgrade that will help Hamilton and should be an advantage for them beyond the 2026 F1 regulations too.
After taking a few weeks to settle in at his new team, Hamilton has now sent a message to Ferrari fans in Italian ahead of his debut.
“I am happy to start this new adventure with you at Ferrari. I’m very excited,” he said.
First images of Lewis Hamilton’s car reveal Ferrari have ‘completely revised’ technical change
After hitting the track on Wednesday in Fiorano, Hamilton got his first taste of a Ferrari car that he will be able to call his.
There is hope that the SF25 will be the car to take them back to championship-winning status with two of the best drivers on the grid.
Hamilton’s 2025 Ferrari F1 car has a ‘completely revised’ technical change, with the team changing the layout of their front suspension back to pull-rod from push-rod.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton outlines difference between ‘big leap’ Ferrari move and joining Mercedes
With their new design, it’s unknown whether it has brought any gains to their car yet, and that probably won’t be discovered until Saturday in Melbourne.
With one year to go before a massive technical regulation overhaul, the team can afford to go all-in for 2025 in the hope of bringing some silverware home.
Leave feedback about this