Lewis Hamilton is one of the most experienced drivers in the history of Formula 1 but has rarely had to deal with drastic changes between seasons.
For only the second time in his F1 career, Lewis Hamilton has decided to switch teams, heading to Ferrari after winning six championships with Mercedes.
His move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 was on paper much more straightforward given he had previously worked with the Brackley-based team while they were in partnership with his first team.
However, Hamilton will have to get used to racing for a team with a new primary language and in a new country.
The team at Maranello will be as welcoming as they can be to Hamilton and do everything in their power to help him settle in quickly.
Hamilton’s previous work with team principal Frederic Vasseur will help, but ultimately, it’s up to him to learn about Ferrari’s processes and new car as fast as he can.
Ferrari have already organised two tests for Hamilton in January ahead of pre-season beginning in Bahrain.
The Brit will given equal time to Charles Leclerc in Ferrari’s 2025 car in Sakhir and the Monegasque driver should have an early advantage over the seven-time world champion given his familiarity with the team.
Vasseur is eager to give Hamilton every chance to succeed this year and a report from Sky Sports has shared the possibility of an additional outing he could take part in before the season begins in Australia.
Lewis Hamilton could take part in 2026 Pirelli tyre test as part of Ferrari preparations
Hamilton’s first run in a Ferrari will take place at the team’s private track at Fiorano.
Two dates have been set for that outing, before the 40-year-old heads to Barcelona to take part in three more sessions.
The rules around F1 testing have changed this season after Max Verstappen took part in an unusual test at Imola last year, making life more difficult for Hamilton to adapt.
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The report from Sky Sports suggests that Vasseur has now floated the possibility of Hamilton driving in a Pirelli 2026 development tyre test.
The first of these tests takes place in January at Magny-Cours, and while that would give Hamilton little time around his other runs in Spain and Italy, he’s unlikely to turn down the opportunity to work with his new mechanics and engineers ahead of another gruelling season.
Frederic Vasseur has no concerns about Lewis Hamilton ahead of his Ferrari debut
At the beginning of 2024, the idea of Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz being any sort of risk seemed far-fetched.
However, Sainz was brilliant last year and Williams have been told by fans how good their line-up is in 2025, with many suggesting that it’s even stronger than Mercedes’ new pairing.
Vasseur has been asked about how Hamilton will adapt to life at Ferrari and said: “For sure, we know that we’ll have a lot of procedures to assimilate during these couple of days, but I think he’s experienced enough to do it.
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“We will have the advantage to have the simulator, so he’ll be able to do a race simulation, a qualifying simulation in the simulator and to be fully prepared with the steering wheel and all the particularities of the car.
“But, honestly, I’m not worried about this, and it’s not the biggest challenge.”
The biggest challenge for Hamilton will be improving his one-lap pace, something he admitted he was struggling with during his final year at Mercedes.
Leclerc is one of F1’s best qualifiers and will back himself to beat Hamilton on Saturdays, especially at the start of their partnership.
But once Hamilton is fully embedded within the team, he’ll be confident in his own abilities to defeat yet another teammate.
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