Lewis Hamilton’s preliminary Ferrari take a look at was a short 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 situated close to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. A lap across the observe takes slightly below a minute, making the session comparatively quick in period. 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 completely consultant.
The take a look at attracted over a thousand spectators, who gathered in hopes of seeing Hamilton on observe. Nevertheless, they had 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, similar to 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 break 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 together with his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami, who has beforehand labored with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton, who has been accustomed to the steerage 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 more durable to raised perceive its limits. At instances, he got here near dipping a wheel into the gravel on the observe’s edges, however he constantly stored the automobile beneath management, regardless of the troublesome situations.
Hamilton’s status for excelling in slippery situations is well-known. Despite the fact that final season was statistically one in every of his most difficult, he delivered an excellent 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 vital 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 clean winter testing interval might be important for him to place himself for achievement, 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 almost 10% of this allocation. Curiously, Ferrari had been one of many groups that advocated for this rule change, which can find yourself working in opposition to them.
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