Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is one of the most significant driver movements in Formula 1 history. After more than a decade with Mercedes, the seven-time world champion is already enjoying his time at the Scuderia as he lines up alongside Charles Leclerc in the red garage.
To capitalise on the excitement, Ferrari’s marketing department is running on overdrive, and the latest fruit of their labour comes in the shape of a graphic on the seven-time champion’s steering wheel screen which blends his personal logo with the Prancing Horse and the car model designation, SF 25.
The wheel proudly displays the message: “THE NEW ERA BEGINS.”
A photo of the graphic on the team’s Instagram photo has received almost 190,000 likes in just 11 hours.
One of Hamilton’s first priorities when joining the Scuderia was to adapt the team’s machinery to his own preferences. One example of which was the steering wheel. Ferrari was accommodating with this, and made modifications to match his Mercedes-based muscle memory. The changes include a newly-shaped gear paddle with thinner levers positioned higher and covered in a grippy coating.
The neutral, pit-limiter, and radio buttons have also been moved to resemble something closer to what he was used to in the Mercedes, as have a number of other buttons on the front of the wheel, including the K1 button which activated the powertrain’s electric boost. Because of this, it’s remarkably different from his team-mate’s wheel setup.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Ahead of Bahrain’s pre-season testing, the Ferrari driver said this on the steering wheel changes.
“It’s rare that you jump in and it just fits,” he admitted.
“All the switch settings are completely different. The software is different and everything. I am adapting to a car that’s made quite differently to what I’ve worked with in the past.”
Talking ahead of FP1 to Motorsport.com and other media, the driver said the following on the pressure of joining a team like Ferrari:
“I think just always through the years, the pressure that I put on myself has always been 10 times higher than any other pressure that can be put upon me. And I think I’ve not joined this team and been made to feel any pressure.
“I have an expectation for myself. I know what I can bring, I know I can deliver. I know what it’s gonna take to do that and it’s just getting your head down and working away. So I come with a very open mind coming this weekend. It is about getting into a season, it’s about getting into a good rhythm.
“I’m still learning this new car. It’s quite a lot different to what I’ve driven for of my previous career in the sense of the Mercedes powertrain coming into Ferrari powertrain, it’s something quite new. Different vibrations, different feel, different way of working. The whole team works completely differently.”
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