The long-awaited second that Ferrari followers have been eagerly anticipating is lastly approaching.
Lewis Hamilton will quickly make his solution to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello to start preparations for the 2025 Formulation 1 season, and pleasure is constructing about how the game’s most profitable driver will fare on the sport’s most iconic group. After securing six world championships with Mercedes, the British driver now goals to observe within the footsteps of Ferrari’s legendary driver Michael Schumacher by clinching a world title within the group’s signature purple racing swimsuit.
Ought to he obtain this feat, the British driver would make historical past as the one driver in Formulation 1 to safe eight world championships, whereas additionally serving to the Maranello group break a long-standing dry spell within the Drivers’ Championship that has lasted since Kimi Räikkönen’s triumph in 2007, when he narrowly defeated Lewis Hamilton in his first F1 season.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton faces quite a few challenges earlier than that dream turns into a actuality, with 19 different gifted drivers on the grid aiming to disrupt his debut season with the Italian group.
Whereas Ferrari has already scheduled Lewis Hamilton’s first session within the simulator, there’s nonetheless uncertainty surrounding his first official run in a Ferrari Formulation 1 automobile. His debut observe check is predicted to happen in Barcelona, and he might also take part in a Pirelli tire check at Magny-Cours later this month.
However, his first true outing behind the wheel will happen at Ferrari’s non-public Fiorano check observe.
In a current look on The Race Podcast, motorsport journalist and F1 skilled Jonathan Noble make clear why there’s some secrecy surrounding the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s preliminary on-track check. One concern, he defined, is Ferrari’s potential fear concerning the overwhelming fan turnout at Fiorano for such a historic occasion.
Jonathan Noble was requested concerning the British driver’s upcoming first check with Ferrari and defined that it was a subject of nice curiosity and the largest query of the winter. The motorsport journalist famous that Ferrari confronted a dilemma: they didn’t desire a huge crowd of Tifosi descending upon Fiorano to observe Hamilton’s first check. He identified that the observe couldn’t be absolutely closed off, as there was a big bridge operating over it. He speculated that if Ferrari had been to announce a selected date and time for Hamilton’s check, the bridge would doubtless be crowded with spectators, inflicting chaos and requiring police intervention, which might create a hard scenario.
The Italian aspect has taken steps to maintain the small print of Hamilton’s first check underneath wraps in an effort to forestall a mass inflow of followers flocking to Fiorano. Regardless of their greatest efforts to take care of secrecy, there’s a restricted window by which Ferrari can schedule testing periods for each Hamilton and Charles Leclerc earlier than heading to Bahrain for the official pre-season testing. This tight timeline has already given Ferrari’s most passionate followers some clues as to once they would possibly be capable to catch a glimpse of their new driver on the observe.
The anticipation for the 2025 season is rising quickly, regardless of the official begin not occurring till mid-March when the Formulation 1 circus heads to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton made his transfer to Ferrari recognized earlier than the 2024 season even started, a daring resolution that carried its dangers, particularly provided that he wasn’t sure whether or not Mercedes may get well and ship a aggressive bundle for the upcoming yr.