One of the vital charming storylines of the 2025 Formulation 1 season is Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari, because the seven-time world champion embarks on a quest to safe his eighth title with the long-lasting Maranello staff. This marks a big chapter in his illustrious profession, with Hamilton doubtlessly turning into the primary driver in F1 historical past since Jack Brabham to say a championship on the age of 40. As he continues to construct upon his exceptional legacy, Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari is about to be a serious point of interest of the upcoming season.
To formally start their partnership, Ferrari will host a non-public take a look at for Hamilton in late January, simply after his departure from Mercedes on the finish of December. This may mark a big milestone, because it represents the primary time Hamilton has joined a staff exterior the UK all through his total F1 profession. This distinctive shift comes with its personal set of challenges, together with the language barrier. Nonetheless, whereas Hamilton shouldn’t be enterprise Italian classes like his predecessor, Sebastian Vettel, there may be one technique he’s adopting to assist ease communication along with his new staff.
When Sebastian Vettel joined the Maranello staff again in 2015, he acknowledged the significance of efficient communication and thus enrolled in Italian classes to foster a greater relationship along with his engineers and staff members. This proactive strategy allowed him to beat any linguistic hurdles and helped him bond with the staff extra seamlessly. Lewis Hamilton, alternatively, shouldn’t be following the identical route of language classes however is as a substitute specializing in a unique methodology to bridge the communication hole along with his Ferrari engineers. As revealed by journalist Ben Hunt on the JA on F1 podcast, Lewis Hamilton has discovered another strategy that he believes will likely be simply as efficient in constructing rapport with the staff, permitting him to deal with the duty at hand.
Ben Hunt defined that the British driver is making an effort to study, although he isn’t taking any formal lessons. As an alternative, he will likely be specializing in studying phrases.
Lewis Hamilton is about to collaborate with Riccardo Adami, a extremely skilled engineer, as his race engineer at Ferrari, marking the tip of his longstanding partnership with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, which spanned over a decade. This modification will likely be vital for Lewis Hamilton, as it is going to be the primary time in his F1 profession that he’ll work with a race engineer whose first language shouldn’t be English. Regardless of the potential language barrier, Adami brings a wealth of expertise to the desk, having labored with notable drivers akin to Sebastian Vettel and, extra not too long ago, Carlos Sainz.
As Hamilton embarks on this new chapter with Ferrari, Anthony Davidson expressed optimism that the transfer may reignite the “magic” for Lewis Hamilton, particularly after his visibly disheartened efficiency throughout the latter a part of his remaining races with Mercedes. The hope is that the contemporary atmosphere and new dynamic throughout the Ferrari staff will present Hamilton with the motivation and vitality wanted to regain his aggressive edge.
Looking forward to the 2025 season, Hamilton will likely be keen to hold ahead the progress Ferrari made with their 2024 automobile. The staff achieved some promising breakthroughs in direction of the tip of the season, and Hamilton will likely be hopeful that these enhancements will be constructed upon within the upcoming 12 months. With 2025 being the ultimate 12 months earlier than the foremost rule modifications in 2026, this might be a pivotal season for Hamilton as he goals to benefit from the present laws and additional solidify his legacy within the sport.