Lewis Hamilton has been hard at work with his new Ferrari car during Formula 1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain and has enjoyed a successful start.
The Brit has been towards the sharp end of the timings and has shown some encouraging pace in his Ferrari at times.
Hamilton has hopes of winning an eighth drivers’ championship after suffering with a below-par Mercedes car for the last few seasons.
He has a free pass to attack in 2025, with the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner seen as the bigger project long-term. Everything can be thrown at this year’s title attempt.
Hamilton will be delighted at Ferrari’s testing decision to bring the softest tyres to Bahrain, which will give him an opportunity to push and test the limits of his new car.
His first day went without any significant incidents, after Hamilton was caught completely ‘off guard’ by the wind during a Barcelona crash last month.
Toto Wolff calls Lewis Hamilton’s testing run for Ferrari ‘very impressive’ at F1 testing
Ferrari are likely to have at least two competitors for victories this year, and maybe three if Mercedes can get their act together consistently.
There are just two weeks before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. It’s an event they can carry some confidence into after winning there in 2024.
Ferrari have a peculiar front wing for Hamilton in Bahrain, which confused Ted Kravitz on the ground. It appears that his team were taking the measure of airflow to new extremes.
READ MORE: Ferrari have implemented ‘strict’ rule for Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes never applied in the Formula 1 paddock
Hamilton’s ex-boss Toto Wolff has also taken time to deliver praise for how the seven-time champion has performed in red so far.
“Yesterday, Norris was on a different planet. Lewis this morning, Sainz on the C2, very impressive. So, you really have no idea. And the conditions are really totally not representative,” he told Motorsport.com.
Jenson Button refuses to predict one thing about Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 season with Ferrari
It has been 12 years since Hamilton last switched Formula 1 teams, and 2025 marks the first time in 19 seasons that he is not powered by Mercedes.
There are many challenges posed by changing teams, especially one that isn’t predominantly English speaking, but he appears to have adapted to their processes so far.
Jenson Button refuses to predict Hamilton’s Ferrari season and believes that it will take some time for him to get up to speed.
READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher thinks Lewis Hamilton is at crucial disadvantage to Charles Leclerc after watching pre-season testing
His experience of title-winning operations at the age of 39 will be vital as he chases performance in his new machine.
Developing the SF-25 will be important too, and might be something that teammate Charles Leclerc takes a lead on for the first few races of the year.
