Lewis Hamilton has a lot to learn before his official Ferrari Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
The seven-time champion’s move to Italy is one of the most highly anticipated events in recent history after he ended an 11-year association with Mercedes.
Hamilton has been in Barcelona this week testing the SF-23 in a bid to get up to speed with Ferrari’s processes and operations.
Teammate Charles Leclerc was meant to be joining him in the car but running was curtailed on Wednesday afternoon after a minor incident.
Hamilton crashed his Ferrari during testing and it is believed that it was caused by a bump in the circuit more than driver error.
The Brit is targeting an eighth drivers’ championship after a few poor years with the Mercedes where he was left to spend a lot of time struggling with the fourth-fastest car.
Lewis Hamilton is working to address Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari experience advantage
Hamilton is already working on Ferrari’s weaknesses in Barcelona as he attempts to move the team forward with his knowledge and experience.
They finished 14 points shy of McLaren in the race to end a 16-year title drought in 2024, and if their winter development serves them well they should be in contention again this year.
Ferrari faces additional obstacles with Hamilton’s 2025 car after opting to abandon their previous concept to design a completely new one for his arrival. It could bring extra performance gains.
READ MORE: Ferrari will do something ‘unprecedented’ for Lewis Hamilton’s next test in Barcelona
Journalist Nate Saunders believes that a lot of the work he is putting in now is to mitigate Leclerc’s advantage over him, as he has already been with the Scuderia for six seasons.
“What these are going to be crucial for is Lewis is coming out of a decade plus with Mercedes,” he said. “They had a certain way of working, a certain way of communicating between themselves.
“The ways strategies are called, the way the meetings go. He’s got a new race engineer for the first time in 11 years, Ricardo Adami. He’s going to be learning the Italian for ‘Hammer Time’ no doubt. That’s really what Lewis is doing at the moment. That’s one area where clearly Charles has an advantage.”
Lewis Hamilton’s ‘best chance’ to win an eighth F1 title with Ferrari is in 2025
At 39 years of age, this may be the last significant move of Hamilton’s career as he attempts to sign off from the sport in the best fashion possible.
Failing to win an eighth crown in 2021 was a gutting blow, as Max Verstappen pipped him on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton may lose one Ferrari privilege during 2025 season after testing crash
David Croft thinks Hamilton’s best chance to win a Ferrari title is in 2025 with the team eager to take advantage of a year where their rivals’ focus may be elsewhere.
The 2026 F1 regulations are around the corner and there are long-term gains to be found in investing extra resources in the new rules this season.
With a contract for two seasons at least, Hamilton will be hoping that both years bring plenty of success to him and his new employer.
