Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari test was only brief. Indeed, the team set the car up for a Sprint race – around one-third of a full Grand Prix distance.
Hamilton would complete 90km (a Sprint is typically 100km) at the Fiorano circuit, near Ferrari’s Maranello HQ. A lap of the track only takes around a minute.
Teammate Charles Leclerc drove the same car (the SF-23) later the same day. Leclerc was six seconds slower than Hamilton in his 14-lap run, but the conditions weren’t representative.
More than a thousand spectators gathered to watch Hamilton, and they may have feared the test would be postponed. Mist descended on the damp Fiorano circuit.
Ferrari were still able to carry out their run plan, albeit with some disruptions. It will represent a fraction of his total winter mileage.
Hamilton will take part in a Pirelli tyre test in Barcelona, as well as a 2025 car shakedown (again at Fiorano). He and Leclerc will then split three days of running in the official Bahrain test.
Lewis Hamilton showcased elite car control in first Ferrari test
A report from Motorsport Italy has shared some of the details from Hamilton’s maiden outing. His relationship with new race engineer Riccardo Adami apparently got off to a ‘positive’ start.
Hamilton has had the voice of Peter Bonnington in his ear for the past 12 seasons at Mercedes, but he opted to stay at Brackley and work with Kimi Antonelli. Adami has previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel.
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One image showed Hamilton locking up his brakes, but this wasn’t ‘surprising’. He was trying to ‘push a little more’ to understand the limits of the car.
There were even moments when he came close to dipping a wheel in the gravel at the extremities of the track. But he always maintained control of the car despite having ‘practically zero grip’ in the cold temperatures.
Lewis Hamilton could suffer from one F1 rule change this year
Hamilton has always been supreme in slippery conditions. While last season was statistically his poorest to date, he produced a masterful drive at a dry/wet/dry British Grand Prix to take the victory.
Even after months of hype, Hamilton ‘surprised’ the Italian media by attracting such a large crowd this week. There will be immense disappointment if he continues on his 2024 trajectory.
A smooth winter will give him the best possible chance to succeed. But one F1 rule change has hurt Hamilton, with TPC running for experienced drivers now restricted to 1,000km across four days.
That means he’s already used nearly 10% of his allocation. Ironically, Ferrari were one of the teams who pushed for this rule change, a move that may backfire.
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