Lewis Hamilton’s preliminary Ferrari take a look at was a quick however intense expertise. The staff configured the automobile particularly for a Dash race, which is roughly one-third of a full Grand Prix distance.
Lewis Hamilton accomplished a 90km run on the Fiorano circuit, which is positioned close to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. A lap across the monitor takes slightly below a minute, making the session comparatively brief in length. Teammate Charles Leclerc additionally drove the identical automobile, the SF-23, afterward the identical day. Regardless of the distinction in situations, Charles Leclerc was six seconds slower than Hamilton throughout his 14-lap stint, although it’s necessary to notice that the situations weren’t solely consultant.
The take a look at attracted over a thousand spectators, who gathered in hopes of seeing Hamilton on monitor. Nevertheless, they have been met with a misty, damp ambiance that briefly threatened to postpone the session. Regardless of the difficult climate situations, Ferrari managed to hold out their deliberate run, although with some disruptions. This take a look at represented solely a small portion of Hamilton’s general winter testing mileage.
Hamilton’s schedule contains a number of upcoming key occasions, reminiscent of a Pirelli tyre take a look at in Barcelona and a 2025 automobile shakedown at Fiorano. Following these classes, each Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will cut up three days of testing in Bahrain as a part of the official pre-season preparations.
One of many standout moments throughout Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari outing was his distinctive automobile management, significantly given the “virtually zero grip” situations at Fiorano. A report from Motorsport Italy highlighted Hamilton’s constructive relationship along with his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami, who has beforehand labored with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton, who has been accustomed to the steering of Peter Bonnington at Mercedes for the previous 12 seasons, selected to stay at Brackley and proceed working with Kimi Antonelli for now.
Throughout the take a look at, the British driver did expertise a number of challenges. {A photograph} confirmed him locking up his brakes, though this was not a trigger for concern; it was merely a results of him pushing the automobile tougher to raised perceive its limits. At instances, he got here near dipping a wheel into the gravel on the monitor’s edges, however he constantly saved the automobile underneath management, regardless of the tough situations.
Hamilton’s fame for excelling in slippery situations is well-known. Despite the fact that final season was statistically certainly one of his most difficult, he delivered an impressive efficiency on the British Grand Prix, the place altering climate situations made for a tricky however rewarding race, culminating in a victory.
His first take a look at for Ferrari attracted important consideration from the Italian media, with Hamilton managing to attract a larger-than-expected crowd regardless of the months of anticipation. Nevertheless, if he continues on the trajectory from final season, there might be widespread disappointment. A easy winter testing interval will probably be important for him to place himself for fulfillment, however one F1 regulation change might hinder his progress. The brand new TPC rule limits skilled drivers to 1,000km throughout 4 days, and Hamilton has already used practically 10% of this allocation. Apparently, Ferrari have been one of many groups that advocated for this rule change, which can find yourself working in opposition to them.
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