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F1 News Today: Hamilton and Cullen in STUNNING reunion as Mercedes issue official team statement

 

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is set to be reunited with his former trainer Angela Cullen this week at pre-season testing in Bahrain.

 

 

 

Mercedes release MAJOR statement in relation to Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

 

Mercedes have announced some stunning new plans ahead of the 2025 campaign, as they prepare for their first season without Lewis Hamilton.

 

 

 

Axed F1 star with ‘score to settle’ targets SENSATIONAL return

 

A recently axed Formula 1 star has refused to give up his dream of returning to the sport, insisting he still has the talent to compete.

 

 

 

Red Bull chief Christian Horner BAFFLED over new FIA rules

 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed his confusion at the FIA’s latest rule change on the use of flexible wings by Formula 1 teams.

 

 

 

Max Verstappen reveals 2025 F1 absence plans in FIA suspension claim

 

Max Verstappen has revealed whether he will take an absence from the 2025 Formula 1 season after he made a tongue-in-cheek FIA suspension claim.

 

 

 

Mercedes drop new F1 team-mate hint in upcoming announcement

 

Mercedes have teased an upcoming announcement in 2025 involving their two drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

 

 

 

Wolff reveals DAMAGING Verstappen details over Abu Dhabi 2021

 

Toto Wolff has revealed further knowledge concerning the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that decided the Formula 1 world championship.

 

 

Delivering a platform that does everything to help a driver feel confidence in their car has proved to be a critical element of the current generation of ground effect Formula 1 machinery.

 

The extra ride height sensitivities and ability to deal with a car whose downforce and balance changes through the many phases of a corner means a driver has to be totally at one with their challenger if they are going to get the maximum out of it.

 

What makes a driver get into that happy place involves an awful lot of elements that can be fine-tuned, but there is one that is fixed from the moment the car is signed off by the technical department: cockpit position.

 

Where the cockpit sits in relation to the front wheels is important for two reasons.

 

There are aerodynamic motivations based on controlling the wake off the front tyres and how they interact with the leading edge of the underfloor, and there is also an aspect of how it influences the driver’s feel of what the car is doing.

 

Cockpit position became a big focal point for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes over recent years, as he notably felt in the first two seasons of this latest ground effect era that things were not ideal for him.

 

Speaking at the start of 2023 (the graphic below compared the top four teams in 2023), he said: “I don’t know if people know, but we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers.

 

 

“Our cockpit is too close to the front. When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels, which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.

 

“What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. It makes it harder to predict compared to when you’re further back and you’re sitting closer, more centre. It’s just something I really struggle with.”

 

 

Six reasons why Hamilton’s Ferrari switch could be perfectly timed

Mercedes did make tweaks for last season that helped partially alleviate that feeling for Hamilton – although the team felt the issue became a bigger talking point than it deserved to be.

 

Technical director James Allison felt that Hamilton’s complaints about the lack of feel from the cockpit were the symptom of an ill-handling car, not the cause of it.

 

“If we could fix that [instability] properly, the only part of Lewis’s seating position that he would still dislike is that he sees a bit less of the corner apex because he’s a bit nearer the tyre than if he was a bit further back,” explained Allison last year.

 

“But the actual seating position itself is not giving rise to a perceptual issue that makes it hard for him to detect how to handle the car.

 

“Possibly, if he was sitting exactly where he wanted, he might be able to drive a truculent thing with slightly more precision. But the issue there is get rid of the truculent thing, not optimise his seating position to handle something that isn’t good.”

 

A change at Ferrari

 

As Hamilton arrives at Ferrari, he will be happy to have found that one of the team’s changes for 2025 was increasing the distance between the cockpit and the front wheels – moving it in a direction he feels is better.

 

It is understood that the distance between the front axle and the cockpit has been increased by around 2.5cm, with the gearbox casing having been shortened to help keep the car within the maximum permitted wheelbase.

 

As Gary Anderson explains, the change has likely been pursued for obvious technical reasons, but it is one that coincidentally suits Hamilton.

 

 

“It looks like they have slightly lengthened the wheelbase by moving the front wheels forward,” Gary says.

 

“This creates more space between the sides of the chassis and the inner wheel fairing, also the front of the sidepod and the wheel.

 

“This offers a better opportunity to control the front wheel wake reducing its negative effect on the leading edge of the underfloor.

 

“It has probably been done to help when packaging the pull-rod front suspension together with all the pedals and brake master cylinders, but it also means the driver is just that little bit further away from the front axle.

 

“The distance change may be as little as 2.5cm, which in reality is not much, but after the cockpit position emerged as one of Hamilton’s gripes at Mercedes, it could be enough to help move things in a better direction for him.”

 

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The need for more space

 

Ferrari itself has explained that the change in position between the front wheels and the cockpit is all about finding extra space that can then be exploited by the team’s aerodynamicists.

 

As chassis technical director Loic Serra explained: “It was incredibly more and more difficult to develop the car performance, so we had to sort of find space to boost the development curve.”

 

However, no matter what the team comes up with at the factory, the role of the driver – in being able to offer a clear direction on where things need to be improved – stands above everything else.

 

So get them comfortable and in a happy place, such as with a cockpit position that suits them, then progress follows.

 

“One of the most important aspects of the driver feedback on the car is effectively describing the limitation of the car on track and describing what it needs to go faster,” added Serra.

 

“Most of the development nowadays is done virtually, and the virtual is not the real. So development of what do we need to do to make the car faster, which is pretty much mainly what the human can describe, this is where we can extract the most from the driver itself.”

 

 

 

A final few real cars have been kept secret as long as possible but the start of Formula 1 testing means there will be no place for anyone to hide.

 

The first proper on-track running of F1 2025 kicks off with the sole pre-season test in Bahrain running three days from Wednesday February 26 to Friday February 28.

 

The final year of this set of F1 rules could be one of the closest we’ve ever seen and there’s a lot to look out for at testing both on the track and off it.

 

To help guide you through the next few days, here are 10 things we will be looking out for in Bahrain, so you should too.

 

What Red Bull’s been hiding

 

There are still quite a few cars yet to be unveiled, making Bahrain the first place we will see them on track.

 

For some this will come before testing itself. Aston Martin revealed its car digitally on Sunday ahead of a shakedown in Bahrain on Monday, with Mercedes doing the same just 24 hours later.

 

But we also believe Red Bull will shake down its 2025 car on Tuesday, like Mercedes. And Red Bull traditionally doesn’t rush to put out any imagery.

 

So it may be that day one of testing is the first real chance we get to see exactly what Red Bull’s done to combat its late 2024 struggles.

 

There’s a lot riding on this car after Max Verstappen got the title over the line a few months ago, so it’s probably the biggest remaining unknown in pre-season.

 

Who actually looks good?

 

Don’t listen to the inevitable claims at testing that it’s just testing and it’s irrelevant – everybody including the teams, drivers and us will be trying to draw conclusions where they can.

 

And we know that drivers learn very early on whether there are some evils in their cars or not. As Mercedes driver George Russell put it last week: “Within five laps you know if you’re in for a good season or not.”

 

It’s true that the testing laptimes will be largely irrelevant unless legitimate comparisons are actually possible, which can happen.

 

But comparing laptimes always comes with a host of caveats like fuel loads, engine modes, tyre compounds and how much the drivers are pushing, plus variables like track conditions and time of days.

 

That’s why we won’t be paying too much attention to the leaderboard at the end of day one or even day three.

 

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We need to go deeper than that, which is why we always blend a mix of long-run analysis, trackside impressions and information we get directly from the teams to form a rough idea of who actually looks good.

 

Linked to this, there’s a great amount of excitement for F1 this year in terms of the fight between the top teams and also how close the whole grid will be.

 

McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all know there’s an opportunity for any one of them to win races in 2025. Exactly how often and whether they are all championship contenders we’ll only find out in time.

 

How is Hamilton getting on at Ferrari

 

The biggest driver story of testing is an obvious one – how Lewis Hamilton is getting on at Ferrari – but we will be looking at some specifics.

 

Hamilton is confident he will not have a carryover of his specific issues from Mercedes, having driven three different Ferraris already with private tests in 2023 and 2024 machinery plus the 2025 car shakedown.

 

But he has talked about a steep learning curve – to the point of admitting he has extra respect for Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel winning so early on at Ferrari after experiencing the extent of the difference first-hand.

 

Hamilton says he is doing everything he can to be ready for the first race, and the test will offer the first reference for how that’s going.

 

This’ll be more than just a laptime comparison with Charles Leclerc or where he ends up on the leaderboard because he and Leclerc will be sharing the car and running at different times of the day.

 

 

We’ll be going trackside looking at the car’s body language on track and how on the limit Hamilton looks, and the bit that’s hardest for teams to disguise in the data is long-run performance, which should give a reference for Ferrari versus the other teams even with the aforementioned caveats applied. There may be something to glean from Hamilton’s and the team’s comments out of the car too.

 

It’s not just Hamilton adapting to a top team of course. All of the above will also be applicable to his successor Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, given there is so much hype around his rookie season, and also Liam Lawson at Red Bull.

 

This will be Lawson’s first public on-track work at Red Bull as Verstappen’s team-mate, and while his inexperience means it should only get better from here if he’s given time, we will get the first indication of the level he’s starting at and how big a job he really has on his hands.

 

Will aggressive approaches be undone?

 

This is the last year of the current rules cycle and every team wants to spend as much time and money this year working on the big 2026 rules change that’s just around the corner – which means a lot of cars are very similar carry-overs from 2024.

 

But not all of them. And testing will give us the first idea of whether any aggressive approaches have been undone.

 

 

McLaren’s design change that could counter FIA’s late rules U-turn

One example at the front is McLaren, which looks to have gone a big step further with its anti-dive solution on the front suspension.

 

This is a layout change to be even stricter with how much the front of the cars dives down under braking – but if it’s gone too far, the drivers may have trouble with brake feel, and Bahrain will expose that with a couple of choice heavy braking areas.

 

Another example is Ferrari, which has changed geometry entirely at the front, switching from pushrod to pullrod suspension layout.

 

It doesn’t anticipate running the car differently to optimise this, but will that be the case? Will it take a little while to optimise the set-up, the main reason Haas has decided not to follow Ferrari’s direction and instead stick with the 2024 suspension? And will the car’s behaviour in reality correlate to expectations?

 

And finally, if Red Bull – or Mercedes, which has teased “significant” car changes – have gone quite far in search of a final 2025 flourish rather than just limping to the end of these regulations, will anything they have done backfire?

 

Will there be a team in trouble?

 

A team in trouble in testing can come in different forms.

 

A real crisis team needs something like Williams in 2019: slow, overweight, late to testing and illegal!

 

But given how competitive the grid has got in recent years, it takes a lot less for a team to find itself in trouble.

 

Last year we saw just how easy it is for a team to get caught out. Alpine arrived at testing with an overweight and out-of-sorts car, its technical leaders resigned before the first race, and it showed.

 

Williams wasn’t particularly slow 12 months ago, but it had an awful winter in terms of its preparation and car build process and the consequences of that manifested at testing and beyond.

 

So, what will we see this year? A team making big design changes tripping up? Anybody unprepared or out of practice costing themselves mileage? Someone obviously in trouble in terms of performance?

 

Remember that it’s not just total mileage, it’s the quality of work conducted. Last year the number for the field as a whole dropped by around a thousand miles but few had significant technical dramas – most teams just did what they felt they had to do in fewer laps.

 

Plus, Bahrain’s not the season opener this year so it will be interesting to see if that impacts team run plans and what they try to learn and when because unlike most winter tests they won’t be going straight into a race weekend at the same circuit.

 

How ‘Red Bull’ is the Red Bull 2?

 

Last year we dubbed the car from the second Red Bull team the most controversial on the grid and it could get a lot of attention again this time around.

 

It has properly entered its ‘Red Bull 2’ era by starting 2025 with a second name change in two years, a move onto the main Red Bull campus, and a new livery that is beautiful but also so much ‘more Red Bull’ – something the team itself admits.

 

Racing Bulls has moved away from the initial-only RB moniker it adopted last year, and is essentially phasing out the old Minardi headquarters at Faenza in Italy to prioritise a new satellite base at Red Bull’s main Milton Keynes location, the home of Red Bull Racing and where the Red Bull F1 engine is being developed.

 

The question is whether or not any of this deliberate extra Red Bull synergy will translate into more on-track success. And how close to the Red Bull will this Racing Bulls car be?

 

At the time of writing, we’ve seen a couple of proper images of the VCARB 02 but that’s it. And there’s no Red Bull reference point.

 

That’ll be key to not just working out the team’s prospects but also how much it annoys rivals like McLaren, which has been so vocal on this same-owner team alliance before.

 

Which version of Alpine will we get?

 

Alpine has been F1’s agent of chaos in recent years, be that through its swings in on-track performance or its various issues off it: drivers sagas, team management changes and so on.

 

There are signs of that already this off-season with the questions over rookie driver Jack Doohan’s future following the arrival of Franco Colapinto as test and reserve driver – a move his original employer Williams says has been made because it gives Colapinto the chance to get on the grid this year.

 

Renault is a company with drama in its F1 DNA, but Enstone showed again through 2024 that at its core it is a very competent racing team. And as recently as 2022 it was fourth in the championship entirely on merit – ahead of McLaren.

 

With this car being the first Alpine to benefit more from technical chief David Sanchez’s insight and input, testing will start to show us which version of the team we are more likely to get this year, at least at the start of the season.

 

Any signs of a short flexi-wing war?

 

From June’s Spanish Grand Prix, tolerance for moveable front wings will be reduced by around a third.

 

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has said that teams are now going to have to put some effort in two different concepts: one for the first eight races and one for the rest of the year.

 

Now that testing is established as a proper event with a full broadcasting circus around it, we will get a lot of images of all the cars on the long start-finish straight.

 

Rest assured that if there’s any sign of some wings flexing more than others, we will get some slow-motion, close-up shots of the difference.

 

Which means we could get an idea of whether a short flexi-wing war will break out over the opening races before things are tightened up.

 

The last Sauber

 

The final F1 car to be officially called a Sauber before it turns into Audi next year has so far only broken cover in limited form, and didn’t get rave reviews from our resident ex-technical director Gary Anderson when it did.

 

There are only limited renders of this car, which has the big task of taking a big step towards midfield respectability ahead of Sauber’s transformation in 2026.

 

Maybe the first renders are a little underwhelming and the real thing will be more head-turning – or maybe, low-key but sensible changes will unlock a step that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

 

These next few days will give us a clue. But Sauber’s been a good candidate for a low fuel, soft tyre glory run in testing in recent years, so we mustn’t be fooled if that happens again.

 

F1 has a fascinating bumper crop of rookies on the grid this year.

 

What we’re considering the real rookies are three-time starter Ollie Bearman at Haas, Alpine’s one-time starter Jack Doohan, and full debutants Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, and Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber.

 

There is also Lawson at Red Bull but with two part-seasons under his belt now it’s not the same.

 

For the ‘real’ rookies, this test is a fairly limited exercise, but nobody’s coming in cold. Some have raced in F1 already, and Bortoleto and Hadjar have been doing private testing in older cars to get up to speed over the winter.

 

That’ll help, although it will still be interesting to gauge who looks most comfortable with the step up to F1, who if any are on the back foot, and if there are even any signs of anyone being ahead of more established team-mates.

 

 

Mercedes is optimistic the Formula 1 car it’s created for the start of its post-Lewis Hamilton era won’t repeat the mistakes that have held it back ever since the big 2022 rule change.

 

We take a detailed look at its 2025 design and the problems Mercedes needs to overcome in our new video:

 

 

Red Bull’s 2025 F1 car finally breaks cover

Red Bull has revealed its 2025 Formula 1 car one day before pre-season testing kicks off in Bahrain

 

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Every 2025 F1 car and livery revealed so far

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10 things to look out for in F1 testing

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Gary Anderson’s verdict on surprising 2025 Mercedes F1 car

Ex-F1 technical director Gary Anderson’s initial take on the early photos of the Mercedes W16

 

 

Alpine’s 2025 F1 car debuts in Bahrain

Alpine’s 2025 Formula 1 machine, the A525, has become the latest car to hit the track in Bahrain ahead of pre-season testing starting on Wednesday

 

 

Formula 1’s 2025 launch season is here but keeping track of exactly what every team has revealed so far can be tricky.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe he was jealous of Max and AlphaTauri: Lewis Hamilton just announced his new global ambassadorship with athletic brand Lululemon, creating an incredible naming synergy.

 

Hamilton’s new role broke with an Instagram post showing the new Ferrari driver during a 4am sweat sesh in the gym, rocking a teal long-sleeve shirt and black performance tights. Ironically, in an interview with GQ, Hamilton said he had no idea Lululemon — best known for athleisure gear and clothes for women on their ‘hot girl walks’ — also catered to men.

 

“Obviously, there were women that I’d met who would just be raving about Lululemon. I was like, ‘Uh, I can’t wear the leggings,’” he told GQ. “When it comes to all the fabrics that I work with — when I’m designing clothes for example — the material is very, very important for me. There’s some brands I just can’t wear because it’s itchy,” he went on, noting he was immediately impressed by the brand’s pitch. “I’m looking for that extra one percent.”

 

The seven time world champion has been less-than-impressed by the training gear he’s worn in the past, telling GQ he even cut the sleeves off all of his workout tops last season. “The silhouette is very important,” he emphasized.

“I love color-matching things [too], you want to look good when you go somewhere to work out.” As an ambassador, Hamilton will work closely with Lululemon’s research, innovation, design and development teams to collaborate on future products and provide feedback. The company’s Centre for Social Impact will also partner with his global foundation, Mission 44, as part of the deal.

 

 

This and his move to Ferrari would have constituted a big year for Hamilton, but he’s only just getting started. He has another massive fashion moment on the horizon, plus he produced and appears in the upcoming Brad Pitt film “F1,” slated for this summer.

 

“To do the first production this big is nuts because it’ll be hard to beat it,” he said. “[But] when I stop racing, that’s something I’d really love to get more into.”

 

On the other end of the fashion spectrum from performance tights, Hamilton is also set to co-chair the 2025 Met Gala with Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Hamilton’s worked in high fashion before, particularly via last year’s collaboration with former Dior men’s director Kim Jones.

 

When asked whether he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Pharell Williams, who successfully transitioned from the music industry to become the men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, Hamilton remained coy.

 

“I’m very much conscious of doing the groundwork,” he said. “I’m conscious that I couldn’t creative direct. I’m not at that point yet, but I’m using these as stepping stones. I’m really building up my experience—it’s like internships that I’m doing—and I hope that at some stage it provides me to a point where I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m ready now to truly lead and stand alone.’”

 

 

 

 

There is set to be a lot of pressure on Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari as he attempts to win his eighth world title with the Maranello-based squad.

 

It is the first time in Hamilton’s 18-year F1 career that he will be driving for a team that is not based in the UK, and he is already starting to say some Italian phrases with his engineers.

 

Hamilton has already called his first weeks at Ferrari ‘tough’ but seems to be progressing well after taking part in tests for the team with older cars, then recently running their 2025 challenger at Fiorano for the first time along with Charles Leclerc.

 

Although the times are not a competitive representation of where they are ahead of the season, Leclerc was marginally quicker than Hamilton throughout their few runs permitted under the filming day rules.

 

Hamilton is taking to life at Ferrari well given the history of the brand and its position as being one of the most successful F1 teams of all time.

 

However, former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has explained what Fred Vasseur must do with Hamilton in these crucial early stages when speaking on The Race: F1 Team Principal podcast.

 

Hamilton will need to embed himself into Ferrari’s Italian culture and while he is partially there by being a part-time fashion mogul, he will need the help of his team early on if they want their partnership to be successful according to Szafnauer.

 

 

“What you have to do for him is manage the change, because it will be different for him. So those differences you have to introduce Lewis to very quickly and often so he’s comfortable in his new environment as quickly as possible,” said Szafnauer.

 

“It starts to seem second nature soon, but it takes time. You want to shortcut the time that it takes for Lewis to feel 100% in his new environment.”

 

Lewis Hamilton has ‘impressed everybody’ so far at Ferrari says Jean Alesi

Hamilton is now two months into his tenure at Ferrari and will be taking part in his first F1 pre-season test ahead of the 2025 season.

 

Jean Alesi said people in Ferrari have told him Hamilton ‘impressed everybody’ so far, both with how he has dealt with the culture shock and his work ethic.

 

Ferrari has also shown that it is willing to work with him on car matters early on, having made tweaks to the front suspension at the request of ex-Mercedes engineer Loic Serra.

 

The 2025 season will be a massive challenge for Hamilton at 40 years old, but it appears everything is going smoothly so far at Ferrari.

 

 

 

As Lewis Hamilton prepares to embark on his highly anticipated debut season with Ferrari, the seven-time world champion has expressed a newfound appreciation for the achievements of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, who previously walked the Briton’s path at the Scuderia.

 

While both Alonso and Vettel were victorious at the outset with Ferrari – respectively in their first and second races with the Scuderia – Hamilton is unsure he can achieve the same feat when the 2025 season kicks off in Australia next month.

 

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari marks his first team switch since leaving McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.

 

The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 02The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 05The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 01

With pre-season testing in Bahrain just days away, the Briton is still acclimating to his new environment.

 

Reflecting on Alonso’s instant success in 2010 and Vettel’s early triumph in 2015, Hamilton acknowledged the difficulty of adapting quickly to a new team.

 

“That I don’t know,” Hamilton replied when asked how long it would take for him to extract maximum performance from Ferrari’s promising 2025 car.

 

“Those guys did an amazing job,” he added. “I have huge respect for those two drivers and, having joined teams before, the step it takes and the amount of work that goes on to acclimatising is extraordinary.

 

“So it makes those results that they had even more exceptional than even I had appreciated before.”

 

 

Despite the limited pre-season testing opportunities, Hamilton is doing everything in his power to be competitive from the get-go.

 

“What I know is that the testing is more limited than ever before but, fortunately, I’ve had a good bit of time in the car. I am still acclimatising,” he explained.

 

“It took me six months, I think, in Mercedes to get my first win. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready for race one.”

 

Building Trust in a New Environment

Ferrari has been without a world title since winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2008. Hamilton is confident in the team’s potential but acknowledges that establishing strong relationships within the organization will take time.

 

“It’s given me even more appreciation, as I’ve mentioned, about Sebastian and Fernando joining here,” he said.

 

 

“As we’ve watched over the years, drivers moving around, some moving around a lot more than others. And I’ve always thought to myself, for me, I know how long it takes to build trust and grow within a team and grow with people.

 

“As I’ve experienced that with Mercedes, I’ve experienced that with McLaren. And I really cherish the longevity that I had within those places and the bonds that we created in that time. And they don’t happen overnight.”

 

Pushing for Perfection

Now in his 19th season in Formula 1 at the age of 40, Hamilton is determined to make his time at Ferrari count. He recognizes the immense expectations that come with driving for the sport’s most storied team and is committed to raising his performance across the board.

 

“This step is huge. It couldn’t be any bigger,” Hamilton admitted. “The organisation is massive.

 

 

“The passion adds to it from the fans, from the diversity, from the people within, for that desire to want to win. And you don’t want to let people down. You want to be able to deliver on your word.

 

“And so I just try to… How I decided to come into this year, my resolution, my mentality, is I need to elevate in absolutely every area of my site.

 

“My fitness, my time management, how I engage with my engineers, how much time I spend in the factory, all these different things.

 

“And I’ve definitely done that and I’m doing that and I will continue to do that in this strive for perfection and to achieve the success that I’m aiming to achieve. But it’s a lot of work, I have to say.”

 

 

Beyond the competitive aspects, Hamilton is also adapting to the cultural shift of working with Ferrari, a team deeply rooted in Italian heritage.

 

“Also, all the new brands, the whole new culture, different language, all the new brands that I’m getting to work with, which is really, every day is brand-new.

 

“I’m experiencing something new, which actually is really exciting, and in the short space of time, it’s really not a long time.

 

 

 

 

“From the day you join the team to the first race, it seems like, maybe for you guys, you’ve been this drawn out, but it’s not, it’s very short and there’s no shortcuts that you can take. We’re putting the work in and we’re grafting.”

 

As Hamilton embarks on his Ferrari journey, he remains cautiously optimistic. While Alonso and Vettel found early success, Hamilton acknowledges the challenges ahead and the time required to fully integrate into the team.

 

With his unwavering commitment and extensive experience, the motorsport world will be watching closely to see if he can deliver on Ferrari’s long-held championship ambitions.

 

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Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been named a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), stepping into a leadership position within the Formula 1 drivers’ body.

 

The 30-year-old Spaniard fills the vacancy left by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who stepped down from the role after retiring from F1 at the end of 2022.

 

Sainz, who moved from Ferrari to Williams for the 2025 season, expressed his enthusiasm for taking on the responsibility and working to shape the future of the sport alongside his fellow drivers.

 

“I am passionate about my sport and think we drivers have a responsibility to do all we can to work with the stakeholders to forward the sport in many aspects,” Sainz stated.

 

“So I’m very happy and proud to do my part by taking on the directors’ role in the GPDA.”

 

With his appointment, Sainz joins an influential leadership group that includes GPDA chairman Alex Wurz, Mercedes driver George Russell, and legal advisor Anastasia Fowle.

 

 

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali with GPDA Chairman Alex Wurz.

 

Wurz welcomed Sainz’s addition, emphasizing his long-standing involvement with the association.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Carlos as a GPDA director,” Wurz said.

 

“He has been an active and engaged member of the GPDA for several years and we sincerely appreciate his commitment in stepping up to this vital role.”

 

Navigating a Challenging Landscape

Sainz’s directorship comes at a time when the relationship between the drivers and the FIA is facing challenges.

 

Recent decisions by the governing body, particularly under its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, have raised concerns among drivers and other stakeholders.

 

One such point of contention is the FIA’s January decision to codify a process that could lead to race bans for drivers who use swear words.

 

The lack of clarity on how these rules will be implemented has further fueled unease.

 

 

Sainz has already publicly voiced his opinion on this matter, stating this month that it is wrong to threaten F1 drivers with bans for swearing, although he acknowledged that drivers should avoid bad language in news conferences and television interviews.

 

Another example of the tension between the GPDA and the FIA is the open letter the drivers’ association sent to the governing body in November, in which the drivers expressed their grievances towards Ben Sulayem.

 

The group’s statement, released after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, was unusually blunt.

 

It urged Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them,” and demanded transparency about the monetary fines imposed on drivers.

 

The backdrop to the letter was a string of controversial incidents. Max Verstappen was handed community service for swearing during the Singapore GP Thursday press conference, while Charles Leclerc received a €10,000 fine for also using the F-word in Mexico’s post-race presser.

 

The GPDA has yet to receive a formal response from the FIA, although Ben Sulayem suggested in no uncertain terms that it was “none of their business” how the Emirati runs the FIA.

 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook

 

As Lewis Hamilton prepares to embark on his highly anticipated debut season with Ferrari, the seven-time world champion has expressed a newfound appreciation for the achievements of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, who previously walked the Briton’s path at the Scuderia.

 

While both Alonso and Vettel were victorious at the outset with Ferrari – respectively in their first and second races with the Scuderia – Hamilton is unsure he can achieve the same feat when the 2025 season kicks off in Australia next month.

 

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari marks his first team switch since leaving McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.

 

The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 02The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 05The Inside Line | Episode 588 | SF 01

With pre-season testing in Bahrain just days away, the Briton is still acclimating to his new environment.

 

Reflecting on Alonso’s instant success in 2010 and Vettel’s early triumph in 2015, Hamilton acknowledged the difficulty of adapting quickly to a new team.

 

“That I don’t know,” Hamilton replied when asked how long it would take for him to extract maximum performance from Ferrari’s promising 2025 car.

 

“Those guys did an amazing job,” he added. “I have huge respect for those two drivers and, having joined teams before, the step it takes and the amount of work that goes on to acclimatising is extraordinary.

 

“So it makes those results that they had even more exceptional than even I had appreciated before.”

 

 

Despite the limited pre-season testing opportunities, Hamilton is doing everything in his power to be competitive from the get-go.

 

“What I know is that the testing is more limited than ever before but, fortunately, I’ve had a good bit of time in the car. I am still acclimatising,” he explained.

 

“It took me six months, I think, in Mercedes to get my first win. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready for race one.”

 

Building Trust in a New Environment

Ferrari has been without a world title since winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2008. Hamilton is confident in the team’s potential but acknowledges that establishing strong relationships within the organization will take time.

 

“It’s given me even more appreciation, as I’ve mentioned, about Sebastian and Fernando joining here,” he said.

 

 

“As we’ve watched over the years, drivers moving around, some moving around a lot more than others. And I’ve always thought to myself, for me, I know how long it takes to build trust and grow within a team and grow with people.

 

“As I’ve experienced that with Mercedes, I’ve experienced that with McLaren. And I really cherish the longevity that I had within those places and the bonds that we created in that time. And they don’t happen overnight.”

 

Pushing for Perfection

Now in his 19th season in Formula 1 at the age of 40, Hamilton is determined to make his time at Ferrari count. He recognizes the immense expectations that come with driving for the sport’s most storied team and is committed to raising his performance across the board.

 

“This step is huge. It couldn’t be any bigger,” Hamilton admitted. “The organisation is massive.

 

 

“The passion adds to it from the fans, from the diversity, from the people within, for that desire to want to win. And you don’t want to let people down. You want to be able to deliver on your word.

 

“And so I just try to… How I decided to come into this year, my resolution, my mentality, is I need to elevate in absolutely every area of my site.

 

“My fitness, my time management, how I engage with my engineers, how much time I spend in the factory, all these different things.

 

“And I’ve definitely done that and I’m doing that and I will continue to do that in this strive for perfection and to achieve the success that I’m aiming to achieve. But it’s a lot of work, I have to say.”

 

A Cultural Shift

Beyond the competitive aspects, Hamilton is also adapting to the cultural shift of working with Ferrari, a team deeply rooted in Italian heritage.

 

“Also, all the new brands, the whole new culture, different language, all the new brands that I’m getting to work with, which is really, every day is brand-new.

 

“I’m experiencing something new, which actually is really exciting, and in the short space of time, it’s really not a long time.

 

 

“From the day you join the team to the first race, it seems like, maybe for you guys, you’ve been this drawn out, but it’s not, it’s very short and there’s no shortcuts that you can take. We’re putting the work in and we’re grafting.”

 

As Hamilton embarks on his Ferrari journey, he remains cautiously optimistic. While Alonso and Vettel found early success, Hamilton acknowledges the challenges ahead and the time required to fully integrate into the team.

 

With his unwavering commitment and extensive experience, the motorsport world will be watching closely to see if he can deliver on Ferrari’s long-held championship ambitions.

 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook

 

Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been named a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), stepping into a leadership position within the Formula 1 drivers’ body.

 

The 30-year-old Spaniard fills the vacancy left by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who stepped down from the role after retiring from F1 at the end of 2022.

 

Sainz, who moved from Ferrari to Williams for the 2025 season, expressed his enthusiasm for taking on the responsibility and working to shape the future of the sport alongside his fellow drivers.

 

“I am passionate about my sport and think we drivers have a responsibility to do all we can to work with the stakeholders to forward the sport in many aspects,” Sainz stated.

 

“So I’m very happy and proud to do my part by taking on the directors’ role in the GPDA.”

 

With his appointment, Sainz joins an influential leadership group that includes GPDA chairman Alex Wurz, Mercedes driver George Russell, and legal advisor Anastasia Fowle.

 

 

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali with GPDA Chairman Alex Wurz.

 

Wurz welcomed Sainz’s addition, emphasizing his long-standing involvement with the association.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Carlos as a GPDA director,” Wurz said.

 

“He has been an active and engaged member of the GPDA for several years and we sincerely appreciate his commitment in stepping up to this vital role.”

 

Navigating a Challenging Landscape

Sainz’s directorship comes at a time when the relationship between the drivers and the FIA is facing challenges.

 

Recent decisions by the governing body, particularly under its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, have raised concerns among drivers and other stakeholders.

 

One such point of contention is the FIA’s January decision to codify a process that could lead to race bans for drivers who use swear words.

 

The lack of clarity on how these rules will be implemented has further fueled unease.

 

 

Sainz has already publicly voiced his opinion on this matter, stating this month that it is wrong to threaten F1 drivers with bans for swearing, although he acknowledged that drivers should avoid bad language in news conferences and television interviews.

 

Another example of the tension between the GPDA and the FIA is the open letter the drivers’ association sent to the governing body in November, in which the drivers expressed their grievances towards Ben Sulayem.

 

The group’s statement, released after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, was unusually blunt.

 

It urged Ben Sulayem to “consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them,” and demanded transparency about the monetary fines imposed on drivers.

 

The backdrop to the letter was a string of controversial incidents. Max Verstappen was handed community service for swearing during the Singapore GP Thursday press conference, while Charles Leclerc received a €10,000 fine for also using the F-word in Mexico’s post-race presser.

 

The GPDA has yet to receive a formal response from the FIA, although Ben Sulayem suggested in no uncertain terms that it was “none of their business” how the Emirati runs the FIA.

 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook

 

Haas is brimming with optimism ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, believing its latest challenger, the VF-25, will provide a “massive boost” if its real-world performance aligns with encouraging simulation data.

 

The American outfit has worked extensively on overcoming the weaknesses of its predecessor, the VF-24, with a particular emphasis on rear-end aerodynamics.

 

Haas head of aero Davide Paganelli shared his insights into the development process and the team’s high expectations.

 

“With the help of the performance team, we tried to work on the whole car as a package to be able to solve the issue,” explained Paganelli.

 

“An indication of this is that we worked a lot on the rear of the car, and particularly the rear wing. I think that we’ve done a really good job on this for 2025.

 

“We believe the package we’ve designed is a really good one in terms of development. Obviously, we must check if the delivery is what we expect.

 

If we’re able to see on track what we think we’re discovering in the wind tunnel, I think that we can have a massive boost from the very first race.”

 

Addressing Inconsistencies

While Haas enjoyed a solid campaign in 2024, recording its best position in F1’s Constructors’ standings since 2018, its car experienced fluctuating performance, with results varying significantly from track to track.

 

Paganelli believes the VF-25 should provide a more consistent level of competitiveness across different circuits.

 

 

 

“We’ve tried to design a car that can adapt to different races as one of the weaknesses we had last year was not being able to be able to perform at the same level at circuits with different characteristics,” the Italian said.

 

“I think that we did a good job in trying to close this kind of gap as well as providing a configuration that is better in hotter races.

 

“We know at the beginning of the season we have some hot races, so we should be able to compete.”

 

A Positive Atmosphere Within Haas

Under the leadership of team principal Ayao Komatsu, Haas has seen significant internal growth, boosting both morale and operational efficiency.

 

“Last year we grew a lot in terms of design resource and we also gained a lot of confidence that we can definitely do better,” said Paganelli.

 

“The mood in the design office today is absolutely positive, we can feel the energy here. Last season we were able to demonstrate to ourselves and the rest of the grid that we can do a very good job.

 

 

“We consider 2024 a success because we came into this season being last in the championship.

 

“It was really difficult to be able to deliver something positive with the same resource, but by changing the organisational structure we unlocked the potential of team members, and that was really satisfying.”

 

 

Haas officially ran its VF-25 for the first time last weekend at Silverstone, with new signing Esteban Ocon behind the wheel.

 

Meanwhile, rookie teammate Oliver Bearman is set to drive the car for the first time on Monday at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the crucial pre-season test next week.

 

With early signs pointing to a strong package, Haas is eager to see how the VF-25 stacks up on track as it aims for further progress in the 2025 campaign.

 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook

 

 

 

 

Haas is brimming with optimism ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, believing its latest challenger, the VF-25, will provide a “massive boost” if its real-world performance aligns with encouraging simulation data.

 

 

The 2025 Formula One season will begin in Melbourne in just three weeks, and fans are anxious to find out as much as they can before the season’s first race lights up.

Many drivers signed new contracts for 2025 as a result of veterans like Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr.

making significant moves to different teams and a number of young drivers joining the grid ahead of the season.

Now that the salaries of all 20 drivers have supposedly been made public, some information about these new contracts has surfaced.

Many Formula One drivers live in the opulent Monte Carlo and are considered to be among the top paid athletes in the world of sports.

It is therefore not surprising that nearly all of the drivers on the circuit are making a base salary of over £1 million this season, with many making much more.

After deducting a number of off-track deals and bonuses from his base pay, his total income is estimated to be approximately $100 million (£79.24 million).

The complete 2025 Formula 1 basic salary list is available on Racing News 365: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, £65 million Scuderia Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, £60 million Charles Leclerc, £34 million, Scuderia Ferrari.

McLaren’s Lando Norris: £20 million Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso: £20 million Mercedes and George Russell: £15 million £10 million for Carlos Sainz and Williams Racing.

 

 

Lewis Hamilton looks into the distance while balancing his yellow Ferrari helmet on one hand

Lewis Hamilton has brought back his original yellow helmet design for his first season at Ferrari

 

Lewis Hamilton called for more changes to his new Ferrari SF-25 after the car’s shakedown at Fiorano earlier this week, it has been claimed.

 

And the fixes are expected to arrive in time for the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain next Wednesday (

 

Lewis Hamilton requests further changes after Ferrari SF-25 debut

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

 

After presenting the team’s F1 2025 car in the immediate aftermath of Formula 1’s season-launch event in London on Tuesday, Ferrari were back in Italy the following morning to conduct a filming day with the SF-25 car.

 

Charles Leclerc spent Wednesday morning in the cockpit at the Fiorano test track, completing around 30 laps before handing over to new team-mate Hamilton for the afternoon session.

 

The seven-time World Champion’s first taste of the SF-25 marked a return to the venue where Hamilton completed his maiden test as a Ferrari driver with the team’s 2023 car on January 22.

 

According to unofficial reports from the test, Hamilton’s fastest lap time with the SF-25 was around 0.8 seconds slower than Leclerc, although it is said that the drivers were carrying out different programs at Fiorano.

 

While Leclerc, entering his seventh full season as a Ferrari driver, was able to push from the off, Hamilton’s focus was on building his confidence and continuing his adaptation to the team’s functions and systems after an 11-year stint with rivals Mercedes.

 

 

Both drivers are understood to have provided positive initial feedback on the SF-25, which is rumoured to be 0.4 seconds faster than Ferrari’s 2024 car.

 

A report by the respected Italian publication Auto Racer has claimed that Hamilton has asked for ‘small details’ to be changed ahead of the start of F1’s official three-day test in Bahrain next week.

 

The seven-time World Champion’s requests are described as ‘relatively minor’ with no ‘strong differences’ between the settings used by Hamilton and Leclerc.

 

 

Hamilton’s latest requests come after he reportedly struggled with the pedals of the Ferrari during his test debut at Fiorano last month.

 

Unlike Mercedes, who are understood to use Carbon Industrie brakes, Ferrari’s braking materials are provided by competitors Brembo.

 

After a couple of lockups during his maiden Ferrari outing, Hamilton is believed to have called for adjustments to the pedals of the team’s 2023 car.

 

 

A fix was put in place for his second Ferrari test appearance in Barcelona a week later, with engineers reportedly putting in ‘a lot of work’ to meet Hamilton’s request.

 

However, Hamilton went on to crash out of the test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in a minor setback to his F1 2025 preparations.

 

With no imagery or footage available of the incident, theories suggested Hamilton’s accident may have been caused by a bump on the track or his inexperience with the Ferrari engine.

 

Addressing the incident for the first time this week, however, the 40-year-old hinted that he simply made a mistake as he started to explore “the limits” of his new machinery.

 

He said: “I’ve enjoyed the testing that we’ve had. I’ve had to find the limits of the car as quick as possible, because I only have a handful of days.”

 

He then laughed: “And I definitely did that!”

 

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com after his first outing with the SF-25 on Wednesday, Hamilton opened up about the challenges of adapting to a new car, admitting that the Ferrari is “completely different” to what he is used to in F1.

 

 

 

 

Mercedes engines have powered each of Hamilton’s 356 F1 appearances to date stretching back to his debut season in 2007, with his only previous team switch occurring when he swapped McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.

 

He explained: “It’s completely different. I thought it [would be just] another Formula 1 car.

 

“I thought it would be [like] when I went from McLaren to Mercedes – there were similarities, but I guess it was still powered by Mercedes, so the sound, the vibration, was all the same or was similar.

 

“Whilst there were slightly different characteristics of the car, this is a step with the whole thing being completely different.

 

“It’s a really exciting experience. This is something I’ve really enjoyed trying to wrap my mind around, particularly also just in settings and the terminology they use, the different ways that they can set up a car – that’s taken some getting used to, for sure.

 

“It’s rare that you just jump in and it just fits.

 

“For example, the steering wheel is completely different, everything, all these switches are completely different. The software is different, everything.

 

“Not only am I having to adapt to that, I am adapting to a car that’s made quite differently from what I’ve worked with in the past to achieve a similar sort of thing.

 

 

 

 

“The feeling is a lot different. I don’t feel that currently I’m having to change my driving style too much. I’m actually feeling quite comfortable in the car and just taking one step at a time.

 

“I hope, and we’ll see as we get further down the line at the real race circuits that we go into, just how much aligned and how much change I might need to do.

 

“But the key is to be open-minded and be dynamic.

 

“Luckily, with my experience, I should be able to do that.”

 

Lewis Hamilton in action during the Ferrari SF-25 shakedown at Fiorano

Lewis Hamilton got his first taste of the Ferrari SF-25 in a shakedown run at Fiorano

 

Lewis Hamilton was 0.8 seconds slower than new team-mate Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-25 shakedown at Fiorano, it has been claimed.

 

It comes just weeks after the former Mercedes driver lapped almost two seconds slower than Leclerc in a tyre test in Barcelona.

 

Report: Lewis Hamilton slower than Charles Leclerc in Ferrari SF-25 shakedown

Hamilton’s preparations for his first season as a Ferrari driver reached a key milestone on Tuesday when the team revealed their new car for F1 2025 in the immediate aftermath of Formula 1’s season-launch event in London.

 

The SF-25 recorded its first laps the following morning as Leclerc took to the circuit at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track for a brief shakedown test, completing around 30 laps before Hamilton took over for the afternoon session.

 

The shakedown represented the only running Hamilton and Leclerc will get behind the wheel of the SF-25 before the start of F1’s single pre-season test in Bahrain, which begins next Wednesday (February 26).

 

Ferrari elected against issuing an official report of the Fiorano shakedown with the run classed as a private filming day.

 

 

However, a report by Spanish publication Marca has claimed that Hamilton’s fastest lap at Fiorano was a massive eight tenths slower than Leclerc according to unofficial data.

 

The comparison is considered unrepresentative given that the Ferrari drivers were running on a special Pirelli tyres for the shakedown, which bear little resemblance to the tyres set to be raced during the season in F1 2025.

 

Hamilton’s latest pace deficit to Leclerc comes after Pirelli provided the first official comparisons between the new Ferrari team-mates over the course of a two-day tyre test in Barcelona earlier this month.

 

Having outpaced Leclerc by 0.130 seconds on the first day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where they shared a modified version of Ferrari’s 2024 car, Hamilton trailed his team-mate by a huge 1.788 seconds 24 hours later.

 

Pirelli stressed at the time that the published laptimes carried ‘no real significance given the different work programmes carried out’ by Ferrari and McLaren, who were also on track at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

 

A separate report by Italian outlet Auto Racer has shed more light on the claimed fastest times, indicating that the Ferrari drivers were on separate programmes.

 

It is said that the greater experience of Leclerc, preparing for his seventh full season with Ferrari having arrived at Maranello ahead of the 2019 season, allowed him to push straight away even though ‘pure performance was not the priority’ of his run.

 

The main focus of Hamilton, meanwhile, was on building his confidence and getting a clearer picture of what he requires from the team and the car ahead of the new season.

 

It is reported that both drivers gave ‘positive feedback’ to the team after their respective runs.

 

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Hamilton, who turned 40 last month, struggled for one-lap pace during his final season at Mercedes in 2024, qualifying behind team-mate George Russell at 19 of the season’s 24 races.

 

It prompted the seven-time World Champion, whose only pole position over the last three seasons came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, to concede that he is “not fast anymore” at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar.

 

Leclerc, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the fastest drivers over a single lap on the current grid.

 

The Monegasque has claimed 26 pole positions since 2019, putting him four clear of current Aston Martin driver and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, who made his F1 debut back in 2001, on the all-time list.

 

However, Leclerc has been limited to just eight race wins to date, with Hamilton the record holder having claimed a 105th career triumph at Spa last July.