Ferrari has yet to set a date for Lewis Hamilton’s track debut in the red suit, but its 2025 car will be revealed at Maranello on February 19, the day after the unprecedented livery launch of 10 Formula 1 teams in London .
Ferrari fans have been eager to get their first glimpse of the seven-time world champion driving for their team since his departure from Mercedes, but the buzz around the Briton must be managed carefully.
Hamilton, who turns 40 on January 7 and replaces Spaniard Carlos Sainz, will likely make his first outing at the Fiorano test track under rules allowing limited use of cars at least two years old.
Team boss Fred Vasseur told reporters at a Christmas lunch at the track that winter weather made planning tricky, but he had no concerns about how long it would take the driver most successful in the sport to adapt to his new environment.
“He’s not rookie of the year. That doesn’t worry me,” said the Frenchman.
“We know he will have a lot of procedures to absorb over these few days but I think he has enough experience to do it.
“We have the advantage of the simulator so he can do a racing simulation, a qualifying simulation and prepare himself behind the wheel for the particularities of the car.”
Official testing begins in Bahrain from February 26 to 28.
Vasseur said there would be no official presentation of Hamilton, as was the case when Michael Schumacher joined in the 1990s.
“We have to focus on the season,” he said. “It will be a very tight period from day one to launch, just a few weeks. I want everyone to focus on performance.
ALSO READ | Sergio Perez and Red Bull agree to part ways before 2025
“We will have the championship launch, we will have the car launch. It’s already been two events and it’s way too many (to do another),” he added.
Hamilton will need a new race engineer, with his long-time sidekick Peter “Bono” Bonnington remaining at Mercedes to work with 18-year-old Italian replacement Kimi Antonelli.
Vasseur said he knew who would be assigned to Hamilton, but he kept it to himself.
“The aim is not to copy and paste what Lewis is doing and try to attract all the people from Mercedes and create a Mercedes team,” he added.
FILE PHOTO: Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur walks around the paddock at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar, ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. | Photo credit: AP
FILE PHOTO: Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur walks around the paddock at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar, ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. | Photo credit: AP
“They weren’t champions the last two or three years. That means we have to do it differently and we will do it differently with our team, our guys and our resources.
“We have to find the best way to manage Lewis, I know him quite well but I don’t at all want to copy and paste what he has done in the past.
Vasseur, whose efforts to learn Italian had limited results, joked that he would help her.
“You know that 99% of the work is in English, I think it’s good to speak a little Italian for mechanics and for relationships within the team but I’m not sure it’s crucial for performance “, he added.
“I’ll be Lewis’s teacher.”
