Lewis Hamilton is in unchartered territory at Ferrari. He spent the first 18 seasons of his F1 career racing for British-based teams, and the last 12 at Mercedes.
Now he’s racing for F1’s Italian marquee, where the culture is famously unique. To ease the transition, Hamilton brought some of his family members and closest allies with him to Maranello this week.
Hamilton has reunited with Angela Cullen, his trainer for four of his title-winning seasons at Mercedes. They parted ways early in the 2023 season but the 40-year-old wanted Cullen back by his side for perhaps the final chapter of his career.
He’s also joined by manager Marc Hynes, while his father Anthony and mother Carmen Larbalestier were in attendance for his first test at Fiorano. Hamilton completed around 90km at the Ferrari circuit, with thousands of fans watching from outside.
He faces a comprehensive adaptation process. After a split with Mercedes that became awkward at times, he must form a bond with his colleagues and the Tifosi.
He also needs to get used to the team’s engineering methods, as well as the car’s characteristics and controls. This is, for instance, his first F1 season to date without a Mercedes engine.
Anthony Hamilton lifts lid on Lewis Hamilton training regime before arrival at Ferrari
Daily Mail journalist Jonathan McEvoy spoke to Anthony Hamilton during his son’s first week at Ferrari. He reiterated that he’d ‘always said’ the move would happen.
Hamilton Sr then revealed that his son had ‘trained like mad’ during the winter, highlighting his motivation as he tries to relaunch his career. His ‘focus and belief are total’, which will reassure his supporters after his confidence unravelled in 2024.
At one point, Hamilton even declared that he wasn’t ‘fast anymore’. His poor performances in qualifying, where he lost 19-5 to teammate George Russell, sent him into a spiral of self-doubt.
His father added that ‘this feels just like the first day at McLaren’ back in 2007. He came within a point of winning the title that year, and then triumphed in 2008.
Charles Leclerc’s message to Lewis Hamilton as they become Ferrari teammates
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel scored early victories for Ferrari, and Hamilton will look to do the same. The longer the wait, the greater the pressure will become.
While the final triple-header was a little disappointing, Ferrari showed promise with a one-two at the United States Grand Prix and a victory for Carlos Sainz in Mexico. They finished just 14 points behind McLaren, which suggests they should be challengers this year.
Still, Ferrari have taken a ‘risk’ with Hamilton’s first car by making major changes. Many would have expected only a subtle evolution.
If the gamble pays off, it could conceivably be an intra-team battle for the title. Leclerc sent a message to Hamilton after his outing in the 2023 car on Wednesday morning, calling it a ‘very special day’ that he was ‘really happy’ to witness.
