“Lewis Hamilton Set for First Ferrari Test Run in 2022 Car Ahead of 2025 Season”
“Lewis Hamilton Set for First Ferrari Test Run in 2022 Car Ahead of 2025 Season
Lewis Hamilton is expected to get his first run in a Ferrari Formula 1 car early next year, piloting Ferrari’s 2022 F1 car, after missing out on a chance to drive at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Following his decision earlier in the year to leave Mercedes after a long 12-year tenure, Hamilton will officially join Ferrari in 2025, aiming to bring his wealth of experience to the Maranello-based team.
Initially, Ferrari had hoped to secure an early start with Hamilton through the Abu Dhabi post-season tyre test, held on the Tuesday following the final race. The test would have provided Hamilton an opportunity to adjust to Ferrari’s setup before the official pre-season test. However, Mercedes confirmed that Hamilton will be attending some end-of-year promotional commitments with the team, including an appearance for Petronas, their title sponsor, on the same day as the Abu Dhabi test. This scheduling conflict eliminates any possibility of him participating in the season-ending test with Ferrari.
Under F1’s regulations, Ferrari cannot run its 2025 car before the official Bahrain pre-season test, except for a filming day. However, Ferrari plans to let Hamilton drive one of its recent cars, likely the F1-75 from the 2022 season, to get him comfortable with the team before the 2025 season. Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, confirmed that they are exploring using “Testing of Previous Cars” (TPC) days for this purpose. According to F1 rules, these TPC days allow teams to run cars from the previous three seasons, making the F1-75 eligible for testing.
Vasseur is confident that Hamilton’s extensive experience will enable him to adapt quickly to Ferrari’s car. “I’m not sure he needs tons of hours of acclimatisation,” Vasseur said, adding that Hamilton could get up to speed very quickly. He anticipates that one or two TPC days, plus the Bahrain pre-season test, will be enough for Hamilton to adjust.
Ferrari is likely to host the initial test session for Hamilton at its Fiorano test track, located close to its headquarters in Maranello. This will allow Hamilton to familiarize himself with the team’s setup in a controlled environment, along with easing into the car’s unique handling and specifications. The F1-75, Ferrari’s 2022 model, represents the first generation of cars built to the new ground-effect aerodynamic regulations, and would provide Hamilton with an understanding of Ferrari’s design philosophy and engineering focus.
Vasseur revealed that Ferrari is already preparing a comprehensive testing and integration plan for Hamilton’s arrival in 2025. “We have part of the team already focusing on ’25, on the test plan, on the communication, with Lewis being part of this,” Vasseur explained. However, he clarified that he is not actively involved in Hamilton’s preparations at this stage, as his focus remains on the race team and Ferrari’s immediate priorities.
The early test sessions with Ferrari’s previous-generation car are expected to allow Hamilton and the team to establish effective communication and workflow well before the start of the 2025 season. The TPC days, coupled with the pre-season testing in Bahrain, will provide Hamilton with a valuable head start as he transitions from Mercedes, where he has spent over a decade. This change marks a new chapter for Hamilton, who has been a central figure in Mercedes’ success over the years, and for Ferrari, which aims to leverage his skill and experience to reignite its championship aspirations.
Hamilton’s upcoming move to Ferrari is one of the most highly anticipated partnerships in recent F1 history, and fans and analysts alike will be eager to see how the seven-time champion adapts to life in red as he seeks to lead Ferrari to new heights.
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