Belgian racing driver and tv presenter Naomi Schiff believes {that a} essential “million-dollar query” stays unanswered as Lewis Hamilton gears up for his Ferrari debut on the 2025 Formulation 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
With Lewis Hamilton making the high-profile change from Mercedes to Ferrari, Italy now has a brand new hero to cheer for. The British driver shocked the F1 world by agreeing to go away Mercedes and signal a two-year contract with Ferrari, efficient from the 2025 Formulation 1 season, with an possibility for 2027. His remaining yr at Mercedes in 2024 was crammed with some awkward moments, marked by a farewell tour, as he and Carlos Sainz transitioned to new groups. Now, each drivers are settling into their roles at Ferrari and Williams forward of the extremely anticipated season opener on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne on March 16.
Naomi Schiff stays unsure about Hamilton’s adaptation to Ferrari’s distinctive atmosphere, regardless of the 40-year-old’s dream transfer to the Scuderia. Whereas the British driver’s determination to affix Ferrari is aimed toward securing his long-awaited eighth Formulation 1 world title, Schiff nonetheless sees potential challenges forward. The seven-time world champion, with 105 Grand Prix wins to his title, faces the daunting process of adapting to life with a brand new group and a brand new automotive, racing for the primary time with out the acquainted Mercedes engine. Furthermore, Hamilton should modify to Ferrari’s distinct tradition, because it marks his first expertise with a group exterior of his British roots.
Naomi Schiff said that the “million-dollar query” surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut is what he can obtain within the new automotive. She talked about that that is the query everybody will likely be asking because the season begins.
She famous that transitioning to a brand new atmosphere, group, and automotive is at all times difficult for drivers, as they can’t merely modify instantly. Schiff identified that Hamilton had solely three days of testing and a while with earlier fashions of the automotive, together with all of the simulator periods out there to him. She added that, after the testing, it was doubtless that Hamilton had recognized areas the place he was struggling, corresponding to discovering the suitable buttons on the steering wheel.
Schiff defined that these small particulars are essential for Lewis Hamilton to get by in an effort to be absolutely ready for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. She concluded that whereas there should still be work to do, she wouldn’t rule out any prospects.
Ferrari has gone to nice lengths to make sure that Lewis Hamilton adjusts as easily as potential to his new group, even going as far as to change his steering wheel to swimsuit his preferences. To help Hamilton’s transition, Ferrari organized a number of Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC) runs at each Fiorano and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. These periods had been designed to familiarize him with Ferrari’s energy unit, automotive dynamics, and different important elements, together with collaborating in a Pirelli 2026 tyre check forward of the official F1 testing in Bahrain.
Regardless of these efforts, Naomi Schiff believes the seven-time Formulation 1 world champion would nonetheless have left the Bahrain Grand Prix testing with some areas to fine-tune earlier than his debut in Australia. Ferrari, nevertheless, is just not anticipated to be the frontrunner this season, with Helmut Marko rating the Scuderia behind McLaren and Purple Bull when it comes to total efficiency.
One facet Ferrari will hope Hamilton has absolutely tailored to is the steering wheel, an space that originally posed a problem. Upon becoming a member of the group, Hamilton instantly requested adjustments to the Ferrari steering wheel, as he was accustomed to Mercedes’ setup. The positioning of the impartial and DRS buttons on the Ferrari wheel weren’t aligned with these on Mercedes’ unit, creating a major adjustment for the Briton.
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