Ferrari has yet to confirm a date for Lewis Hamilton’s track debut in red overalls, but his 2025 car will be unveiled in Maranello on February 19, ahead of Formula 1’s unprecedented launch of 10-team livery in London. The second day of pretending.
Ferrari fans are eager to see the seven-time world champion driving for their team for the first time since his move from Mercedes, but the hoopla surrounding the Brit needs to be careful manage.
Hamilton, who turns 40 on January 7, will succeed Spaniard Carlos Sainz and is likely to make his debut at the Fiorano test track under rules that allow limited use of cars at least two years old. Appearance.
Team boss Fred Vasseur told reporters at a Christmas lunch at the track that winter weather had made planning tricky but he was not concerned that the sport’s most successful driver might need time to adapt to the new conditions.
“He’s not Rookie of the Year. I’m not worried about that,” the Frenchman said.
“We know he’s going to have a lot of procedures to get used to these days, but I think he’s got enough experience to do that.
“We have the advantage of a simulator, so he’s able to do race simulations, qualifying simulations and get behind the wheel ready for the specificities of the car.”
Official testing will begin in Bahrain from February 26 to 28.
Vassell said Hamilton would not make an official debut as he did when Michael Schumacher joined in the 1990s.
“We have to focus on this season,” he said. “The time between day one and launch is very tight, only about a few weeks. I want everyone to focus on performance.
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“We’re going to launch the championship, we’re going to launch the car. It’s already two things and (doing another one) is too much,” he added.
Hamilton needs a new race engineer and his long-term partner Peter Bono Bonington remains at Mercedes to work alongside the driver’s 18-year-old Italian replacement Kimi Antonelli.
Vasseur said he knew who would be assigned to Hamilton, but he would not disclose it.
“The goal is not to copy/paste what Lewis is doing but to try to engage all the people at Mercedes and build a Mercedes team,” he added.
FILE PHOTO: Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur walks through the paddock at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar, before the Qatar Grand Prix. |Photo credit: AP
FILE PHOTO: Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur walks through the paddock at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar, before the Qatar Grand Prix. |Photo credit: AP
“They haven’t been champions in the last two or three years. That means we have to do things differently and we’re going to do things differently with our team, our people and our resources.
“We have to find the best way to manage Lewis, I know him well but I don’t want to copy/paste what he has done in the past at all.”
Vasseur, who himself struggled to learn Italian with limited success, joked that he would help him.
“You know 99 per cent of the work is done in English and I think speaking a little Italian is good for mechanics and team relations, but I’m not sure it’s critical for performance,” he added.
“I’m going to be Lewis’ teacher.”
