Lewis Hamilton is officially being presented as a Ferrari driver this week. Many of the fans who bought tickets for the F175 launch event at the O2 Arena will have done so to catch a glimpse of the seven-time world champion.
Of course, Ferrari weren’t able to keep the Tifosi away when Hamilton first reported to Maranello last month. He was captured signing autographs in the melee outside the factory.
Fred Vasseur wanted Hamilton’s first test to be low-key so he could focus on his preparations, but that was always unrealistic given his reputation. There were thousands of spectators watching through the fences at Fiorano.
Ferrari aren’t happy that they had to fly to London for the season launch, but most of the teams have a base in southern England. They pencilled in their own presentation back at base for the following day.
That gives Hamilton a chance to drive the 2025 car for the first time, along with teammate Charles Leclerc. They are permitted up to 100km each under F1’s shakedown rules.
McLaren, Williams and Haas all held similar events at Silverstone last week. Teams have the opportunity to check their car is running smoothly before the start of pre-season testing.
Lewis Hamilton is living at Ferrari’s factory – and having lunch with his engineers
A report from The Race has offered some insight on Hamilton’s first month at Ferrari. He’s apparently been staying in his motorhome, which he’s parked right outside Enzo Ferrari’s house – the site of his first official team portrait.
Hamilton will routinely run around the Fiorano test track in the morning before he attends to his daily commitments. These include meetings and simulator sessions.
The 40-year-old has been determined not to waste any time. Having been with Mercedes since 2013, he knows how difficult it will be to acclimatise.
To that end, Hamilton has ‘been known’ to invite his engineers to his motorhome during their lunch breaks. This has helped accelerate the ‘process of integration’.
Why Lewis Hamilton will now remind Ferrari of Michael Schumacher
Martin Brundle says Schumacher didn’t have the talent of Ayrton Senna, but he ‘worked incredibly hard’ to make up for it. His success in F1 – only Hamilton has won as many championships – reflect his ability to ‘galvanise everybody’ in the team.
Schumacher would buy his Ferrari colleagues special Christmas presents, closely tailored to their interests. These were the lengths he would go to ‘get the most out of people’.
By inviting his new engineers to have lunch with him in his private quarters, Hamilton is making a concerted effort to form a bond. They’ll inevitably discuss racing for the most part, but he can strike up a personal rapport in this setting too.
Hamilton’s sporting achievements have already elevated him onto the same plane as Schumacher. And his attitude may be conjuring memories of his symbolic predecessor too.
