Lewis Hamilton is formally set to affix Ferrari because the 2025 Method 1 season approaches. The seven-time world champion will start his tenure with the Maranello workforce as soon as his Mercedes contract concludes on the finish of the yr. The British driver bid an emotional farewell to the Mercedes manufacturing unit final month, marking the conclusion of a historic 12-year partnership that earned him six championship titles and cemented his standing as probably the most profitable F1 driver in historical past.
Followers and pundits alike are eagerly awaiting the 39-year-old’s debut with Ferrari, the game’s most iconic and profitable workforce. Ferrari has scheduled Lewis Hamilton’s preliminary take a look at session at their Fiorano Circuit later this month, with backup dates and venues in February ought to inclement climate disrupt the plan. This extremely anticipated first drive guarantees to be a poignant second, however Ferrari workforce principal Frédéric Vasseur lightheartedly warned that Lewis Hamilton would solely have a single lap to savor the emotion earlier than shifting focus to preparations for the upcoming season.
In an effort to keep away from turning Lewis Hamilton’s arrival right into a media frenzy, Ferrari intends to conduct the take a look at in strict secrecy. The workforce goals to create an surroundings that prioritizes acclimating Lewis Hamilton to his new environment with out distractions.
The British driver has secured a profitable £39 million-per-year contract with Ferrari, working till the conclusion of the 2026 F1 marketing campaign, with an possibility for a one-year extension. Hypothesis abounds relating to how the Briton will measure up towards his new teammate, Charles Leclerc, in 2025. The Monegasque driver, deeply built-in into the Ferrari group, has constantly showcased superior qualifying performances in comparison with the veteran. However, Ferrari has declared its dedication to offering equal remedy for each drivers subsequent season.
Regardless of this pledge, many consider intra-team dynamics might evolve based mostly on efficiency. It’s tough to think about Ferrari not favoring the stronger contender if one emerges clearly forward. Nonetheless, commentator Tom Coronel has instructed that Lewis Hamilton could have included particular clauses in his contract to forestall Frederic Vasseur from imposing workforce orders that might drawback him relative to the Monegasque driver.
Tom Coronel, talking on the RacingNews365 YouTube channel, expressed his perception that workforce orders wouldn’t be carried out at Ferrari in 2025. He instructed that Hamilton’s contract was probably structured to forestall such situations, including that he didn’t discover the thought of workforce orders believable below these circumstances.
The Dutch skilled racing driver went on to explain Lewis Hamilton as a driver who values reciprocity, stating that the British driver’s strategy is usually, “When you give, you get.” Coronel famous that Hamilton has demonstrated a willingness to assist when wanted but additionally expects to return to his aggressive stance rapidly.
Referring to the ultimate lap in Abu Dhabi, Tom Coronel identified Hamilton’s intense battle with teammate George Russell for example. He questioned why such aggressive competitiveness hadn’t been extra constant all through the season, implying it was uncommon to see Hamilton race alongside a teammate with that stage of dedication.
Will Lewis Hamilton be capable of outperform Charles Leclerc at Ferrari within the 2025 Method 1 season?
Frédéric Vasseur has hinted that the 2 drivers might be allowed to compete freely towards one another subsequent yr, a prospect that has excited F1 followers. Nonetheless, there are rising issues about whether or not Hamilton, at 39 years outdated, can stay aggressive towards his youthful and equally proficient teammate.
Hamilton faces a monumental problem as he enters 2025, particularly given the difficulties he encountered within the closing season with Mercedes. Fighting qualifying efficiency and the unpredictable nature of the W15, his outcomes had been inconsistent at greatest, and he discovered himself unable to constantly problem for high positions. Regardless of securing victories at Silverstone and Spa—his first since 2021—Hamilton completed a career-low seventh within the standings, trailing his teammate George Russell by 22 factors.
Christian Horner, Pink Bull’s workforce principal, remarked that Hamilton had appeared “very flat” in the course of the previous season, which has led to widespread skepticism about whether or not the British driver will thrive at Ferrari or find yourself following within the footsteps of former world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, who each didn’t seize extra titles with the Italian workforce.
However, moments in the course of the 2024 season demonstrated that Hamilton nonetheless possesses the ability and dedication to battle on the entrance of the grid and problem for victories. The actual query, nonetheless, stays whether or not he can preserve that stage of efficiency constantly at Ferrari, the place he might want to adapt to a brand new surroundings, together with unfamiliar workforce dynamics and language boundaries.
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