The main story in Formula 1 before the season started has been Lewis Hamilton turning his first laps at the wheel of a Ferrari at Fiorano.
Around 3,000 fans flocked to the Ferrari test track on a foggy Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Hamilton, who completed 30 laps in an SF-23.
Hamilton is expected to complete more running in private tests later this month before the new season, while Ferrari plans to unveil its 2025 challenger on 19th February.
According to a report from Motorsport.nl, Haas driver Esteban Ocon was also at the Ferrari factory at Maranello on the same day as Hamilton carrying out his duties.
Esteban Ocon taking time out in the Ferrari simulator for Haas
Since Haas joined the grid in 2016 they have had a technical partnership with Ferrari, which enables them to share resources including various parts such as the gearbox and suspension.
Up until the 2021 season, Haas also had access to Ferrari’s engineers and wind tunnel but that was since kerbed when the cost cap was introduced to prevent teams from offsetting costs to others.
According to the report, Ocon was present at the Ferrari factory on the same day Hamilton tested to carry out work in their simulator in preparation for the winter test and upcoming F1 season.
Currently, Haas does not have its own simulator, although that could change in the near future due to its collaboration with Toyota.
Esteban Ocon takes part in Haas first Testing of Previous Cars test
Historically Haas has never conducted a test in old machinery for drivers due to the costs associated with it, but that all changed this year.
Haas took part in its first Testing of Previous Cars test with Oliver Bearman, Ocon, and Ritomo Miyata in early January.
Their drivers were able to complete laps around the Jerez circuit in a 2023-spec car, enabing them to get up to speed with everything ahead of the new season. Haas will be running its 2025 car at Silverstone on 16th February, with Ocon to be prioritised over Bearman.
Ocon will be working with the first female F1 race engineer, Laura Mueller, as part of a raft of changes to their race team setup for 2025.
