It’s in all probability lower than a month earlier than Lewis Hamilton’s debut in a Ferrari F1 (which ought to happen behind the wheel of a 2022 F1-75), however his presence is already the primary subject. Throughout this week’s media assembly at Maranello, the subject of ‘Lewis’ was broadly mentioned, rising in most of the factors touched upon.
It may hardly be in any other case; the debut of essentially the most profitable driver in Formulation 1 historical past behind the wheel of a Ferrari is destined to remain within the highlight for a very long time. After the 2024 season, Frederic Vasseur additionally broke the embargo on the Lewis Hamilton subject, which had been in place since February 1, the day his signing was introduced.
“It wasn’t tough to persuade Lewis concerning the validity of the Ferrari choice for his future,” defined Frederic Vasseur, as reported by the BBC. “In 2023 we gained extra races than Mercedes, so it wasn’t sophisticated to persuade him that he would discover a good undertaking at Ferrari. I imagine he had in thoughts to drive for Ferrari for not less than 20 years. I bear in mind we have been already speaking about it in 2004 (when Hamilton was approached by Frederic Vasseur to hitch his F3 staff), however typically it’s additionally a matter of coincidences or aligning the planets. It simply so occurred that he was available on the market and Ferrari had a seat out there to supply him. We began discussing it a yr in the past, and it wasn’t exhausting to persuade him.” – the French supervisor identified.
At Ferrari, there are not any doubts about Hamilton’s kind, and the ultimate steadiness of the 2024 season (through which he completed the championship behind teammate George Russell) doesn’t elevate issues.
“I don’t wish to level fingers at Lewis or Mercedes,” defined Frederic Vasseur. “However I’m satisfied that the scenario they discovered themselves in wasn’t simple to handle. I imagine (Lewis) wasn’t in excellent psychological form, it was fairly evident in Brazil, however within the final two races, he carried out very effectively, and I’m not in any respect fearful about it.”
There isn’t any signal of concern concerning the connection between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both. “They’ve an enormous mutual respect,” confirmed Frederic Vasseur. “They know one another effectively and have been speaking for months. Additionally, I add, it’s significantly better to battle for first and second place than for nineteenth and twentieth. What I imply is that it’s signal for a staff to have these sorts of discussions.”
Beginning in early January, Lewis Hamilton will face a rigorous schedule to settle in forward of the primary official assessments in Bahrain. The assessments with the 2022 automobile (not but formally confirmed by Ferrari) will serve to familiarize him with the staff and dealing procedures.
“It gained’t be simple,” concluded Fred Vasseur. “However Lewis is definitely not a newbie; he comes with a wealth of expertise, and I’m not in any respect fearful about that. Within the Bahrain assessments, he should take in many issues, however we now have the benefit of having the ability to work on the simulator, the place he can strive each race simulations and qualifying simulations and be well-prepared for managing the controls on the steering wheel. I don’t assume this would be the largest problem we face.”
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