Category: Lewis hamilton news

 

Lewis Hamilton’s arrival and subsequent adaptation to driving for Ferrari has been one of the biggest stories of the Formula 1 off-season.

 

Thousands turned up to witness Hamilton’s first run at Fiorano and he will be at the centre of everyone’s attention when he rocks up in Bahrain for pre-season testing.

 

Hamilton will have to share the three days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit with new Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

 

That will likely put him on the back foot, to begin with this season as although both drivers will have equal time in Ferrari’s 2025 car, Leclerc has much more experience when it comes to working with the Italian team.

 

However, one thing that Hamilton can do at Maranello is get as accustomed as possible to working with his new colleagues.

 

After 12 seasons with Mercedes, he would have known all the smallest intricacies of that organisation.

 

Ferrari is a completely new environment for the 40-year-old and not only that, he also has to win over the infamous hard-to-please Tifosi.

 

Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in Ferrari’s history, and while he’s revered in Maranello now, that wasn’t always the case.

 

 

Hamilton has just done something while speaking to Ferrari’s employees that will help the team’s fans warm to him even faster than they already have done after his brief appearances in red over the past few weeks.

 

Lewis Hamilton gives speech in Italian to Ferrari fans ahead of the 2025 F1 season

Video footage emerged of Hamilton reading a speech off his phone in Italian to Ferrari staff, receiving plenty of encouragement from the crowd as he did so.

 

A report from Autoracer shared exactly what he said, with the seven-time world champion’s message translated as: “Thank you all for your warm welcome.

 

“I am happy to begin this new adventure with you, in Ferrari.

 

“It has always been my dream to be part of this team. I can’t wait to work with you. Thank you.”

 

Lewis Hamilton drives on the track during the first day of tests as a Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver at the Fiorano Circuit in Maranello, Italy, on Jan…

 

Journalist Jose M. Zapico explained on social media that this was something that Schumacher never did initially during his time with Ferrari.

 

He said: “Schumacher was never liked in Italy. He was more appreciated after his departure from Ferrari, he was called ‘The German’ and ‘Sochmacher’, which is a very ugly thing to say.

 

“He was criticised for never speaking a word of Italian. Lewis, he has taken the trouble to at least read it on his iPhone.”

 

 

What was Michael Schumacher’s reputation like at Ferrari at the start of his spell with the team?

A report from ESPN back in 2001 gives more details about the feeling Ferrari fans had for Schumacher just after he had won his first title with the team.

 

At the unveiling of that season’s car, Schumacher defended himself and said: “I am not a movie star, either things come naturally or they don’t. You can’t “learn” emotions.

 

He had been accused of being less emotional towards Ferrari than teammate Rubens Barrichello and the report from ESPN said that Schumacher had previously been seen as ‘cold and aloof’ before crying on the podium at Monza the previous season.

 

Schumacher admitted that he had always felt emotions towards Ferrari adding, “even if they were not always visible.

 

“Believe me I’ve cried before but you didn’t see me and I’ve laughed before but you didn’t see me.

 

“I have blood inside me. I am a human as well, there is just a different level where it happens.”

 

It was also telling that Schumacher spoke in Italian at this car launch, something that was ‘well received’ among the fans in the crowd.

 

Hamilton has clearly taken a page out of Schumacher’s book and while he hasn’t learned to speak Italian fluently, and may never have to given the team mainly functions in English, it’s very much appreciated that he’s gone to the extra effort of speaking in the team’s native language.

 

He’ll hope his performances on the track only enhance his reputation with Formula 1’s most passionate fanbase over the coming months.

According to the most recent vote made available to readers of GPFans, Lewis Hamilton defeated Charles Leclerc handily in their first meeting as teammates.

Following Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello, the Ferrari driver tandem made their official début in January, showcasing their new 2025 red race suits.

If they are rewarded with a race-winning vehicle, Hamilton and Leclerc should make up an evenly matched roster at Ferrari, with the tantalizing prospect of a title fight.

Both drivers have tested for Ferrari in Barcelona ahead of their 2025 race debut, showcasing much than just their speed.

Leclerc chose to wear the crimson and white of the Monaco flag for the 2025 season, while Hamilton also unveiled their new helmet designs.

However, Hamilton adopted an old-fashioned concept for the champion by going back to the yellow color scheme he used in his McLaren and Mercedes starts.

After crashing during Ferrari’s Barcelona testing earlier this week, Hamilton has started a pattern of reverting to his previous behaviors after joining a new team.

Throughout his Formula One career, Hamilton has really crashed during every testing session with a new team.

He had previously done this with McLaren and Mercedes before winning the drivers’ championship the following year.

F1 fans were asked in a recent GPFans survey which of the new designs they liked best, and Hamilton won his first significant victory over Leclerc in their first meeting.

Hamilton’s yellow helmet received an astounding 79% of the vote, which was a huge boost for the new Ferrari star.

In contrast, Leclerc only received 21% of the vote, suffering his first humiliating loss against the seven-time champion.

Before jumping into the 2025 challenger in Bahrain for crucial pre-season testing from February 26–28, the teammates will next take to the track in Barcelona in the SF-24 for Pirelli’s 2026 tire test on February 4 and 5.

 

Lewis Hamilton crashed on the second day of testing a 2023 Ferrari Formula One car at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

The seven-times world champion, who had a first test run with his new team at their Fiorano track last week and is still adapting to his new surroundings after leaving Mercedes, was unhurt in the crash on Wednesday.

for older models like the SF-23 that Hamilton drove on Wednesday in Spain. Official preseason testing for the new season’s cars starts in Bahrain on February 26 and will continue till February 28.

Hamilton will partner with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, who have been without a driver’s title since 2007, but hope to change that in the 2025 season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix, scheduled from March 14 to 16.

Current-specification cars are strictly prohibited from being tested by F1 teams, but earlier versions, such as the SF-23 that Hamilton drove in Spain on Wednesday, are exempt from the regulations. Beginning on February 26 and lasting until February 28, Bahrain will host official preseason testing for the upcoming season’s automobiles.

 

Lewis Hamilton was back behind the wheel for Ferrari as part of Pirelli tyre testing duties at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

 

And while Hamilton had the slight edge over Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in this blind tyre test, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who topped the timings.

 

After Ferrari’s quick wake-up run at their Fiorano test track, Hamilton experienced his first extensive running at the wheel of a Ferrari as he and team-mate Charles Leclerc headed to Barcelona for a three-day test. However, the programme did not quite go as planned.

 

With Hamilton in the SF-23 for the morning session of day two, a reversal of the run plan from the opening day, the track action was halted when Hamilton suffered a shunt at Turn 12, inflicting bodywork and suspension damage which cost Leclerc the chance to complete his planned afternoon running.

 

For the final day, Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi and Driver Academy racer Dino Beganovic took over at the wheel.

 

However, Leclerc was back in action alongside Hamilton on Tuesday as a two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya got underway. It was Ferrari’s 2024 challenger, the SF-24, which was at their disposal this time in a test dictated by Pirelli as F1’s tyre manufacturer work on their 2026 slick compounds.

 

Joining the Ferrari duo in Barcelona was McLaren’s Lando Norris who manned the MCL60 and set the fastest time of a 1:15.21, completing 159 laps, while Hamilton was second on this particular leaderboard, delivering 87 laps with a best time of a 1:15.93, 0.13s faster than Leclerc’s best with the Monegasque racer completing 86 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

 

Ferrari and McLaren used modified versions of their respective challengers, with the FIA clearing teams to drop roughly 20 per cent of downforce from the cars in modifying them to better represent the challengers which will be formed from the new F1 2026 regulations.

 

In one of Formula 1’s biggest regulatory shake-ups yet, new chassis and power unit rules will come into force from F1 2026.

 

The FIA’s regulations on mule cars state: “Cars must include and are limited to the minimal modifications necessary for the purpose of testing development tyres or for testing components or systems on behalf of the FIA for future championship seasons, as determined by the FIA.

 

“No test parts, test software or component changes will be permitted which give any sort of information to the competitor that is unrelated to the mule car test unless specifically requested by the FIA.”

 

A report from autoracer.it claimed that Ferrari also had their SF-23 in action in Barcelona on Tuesday so that Leclerc could make up for his previously missed running.

 

Both Ferrari and McLaren will continue their Pirelli tyre testing duties at the circuit on Wednesday.

 

Hamilton secures VICTORY as Leclerc crushed in first Ferrari showdown

 

Lewis Hamilton has secured a huge victory over Charles Leclerc during their first showdown as team-mates in the latest poll offered to GPFans’ readers.

 

The Ferrari pair made their official debut as a driver duo in January, following Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello as the pair showcased their new red race suits for 2025.

 

F1 HEADLINES: Horner breaks silence as Verstappen SPLIT decision confirmed

 

Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to be an evenly matched lineup at Ferrari, offering a tantalising prospect of a title fight if they are rewarded with a race winning car.

 

 

 

F1 News Today: Horner breaks silence as Red Bull 2025 absence confirmed

Ahead of their 2025 race debut, both drivers have completed tests for Ferrari in Barcelona, where they unveiled more than just their pure speed.

 

READ MORE: Wolff issues ‘divorce’ statement after Hamilton Ferrari crash

 

 

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have made their debut as Ferrari team-mates

 

Will Charles Leclerc get the better of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025?

The official Ferrari site are currently running a sale with up to 30 per cent off their existing F1 merchandise ahead of Hamilton’s arrival.

 

Hamilton and Leclerc unveil 2025 F1 helmet designs

Hamilton and Leclerc also revealed their fresh helmet designs for 2025, with Leclerc opting for the red and white of the Monaco flag for the upcoming season.

 

On the other hand, Hamilton returned to the yellow colour scheme he displayed on his McLaren and Mercedes debuts, in an old-school theme for the champion.

 

Hamilton has begun a streak of repeating old habits upon his move to a new team, after crashing during testing with Ferrari in Barcelona earlier this week.

 

In fact, Hamilton has crashed during every testing session with a new team during his F1 career, having done the same at McLaren and Mercedes in the past, before going on to win the drivers’ title the following year on both occasions as well.

 

So, could his lucky yellow helmet continue the trend of success with a new team?

 

In GPFans’ recent poll we asked F1 fans which was their favourite of the new designs, with Hamilton securing his first huge victory over Leclerc in their debut showdown.

 

A staggering 79 per cent of fans voted for Hamilton’s yellow helmet, in a major boost for the new Ferrari star, with Leclerc meanwhile only enjoying 21 per cent of the vote in a first crushing defeat against the seven-time champion.

 

The team-mates will next return to the track in Barcelona in the SF-24 for Pirelli’s 2026 tyre test on February 4 and 5, before stepping into the 2025 challenger in Bahrain for vital pre-season testing from February 26-28.

 

 

 

 

Shock data suggests that Lewis Hamilton is set for a major U-turn in form at Ferrari after reuniting with former trainer and close confidante Angela Cullen.

 

 

 

Ferrari F1 star REMOVED in driver lineup change

 

A Ferrari star has been removed in a bizarre lineup change on the F1 team’s official website.

 

 

 

F1 confirm sensational driver signing for 2025

 

Formula 1 has announced a stunning addition to the F1 Academy lineup this season, snapping up an exciting prospect as a wild card entry.

 

 

Major Hamilton MONEY claim emerges after Ferrari debut

 

A major financial claim has been made regarding newly signed Ferrari Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

 

 

 

And on Wednesday morning, Hamilton drove the team’s 2023 car around their Fiorano track, which is adjacent to the team’s factory.

 

Sky Sports News’ cameras – and reporter Craig Slater – were on hand to capture the historic moment, which occurred as Hamilton began his running at 9.16am local time in misty conditions.

 

 

Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater was on the ground in Italy to get the latest reaction of the Tifosi as Lewis Hamilton had his first laps in a Ferrari.

Having released a first photo of Hamilton in a red race suit on Tuesday evening, Ferrari shared the Brit’s new helmet in a social media post on Wednesday morning shortly before he took to the track.

 

The blockbuster Hamilton-Ferrari move has united F1’s most-successful driver in history with the most-successful team.

 

Hamilton, who turned 40 earlier this month, has won a record 105 races and a joint-best seven world championships, while Ferrari lead the way on the all-time tables for both drivers’ (15) and constructors’ title (16) triumphs.

 

But the Scuderia have not won any title since 2008, although a strong end to last season saw them finish within 14 points of new constructors’ champions McLaren in second place.

 

 

Ferrari share on their social media channels extra footage of Lewis Hamilton’s first drive in a Ferrari – from garage to track!!!

A ‘historic’ first lap in Ferrari red

Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater at Fiorano:

 

“This is the historic first lap of Lewis Hamilton in the red Ferrari car – 105 victories, 104 poles in his career, seven world championships – he’s 40 years of age now. Can he complete what he hopes to describe as the masterpiece of his career with an eighth championship, at the most famous team in Formula 1?

 

“I’m jam-packed in here, there’s more than 1,000 Ferrari fans. In fact, I’m so packed in, I can’t quite see the entire number that have gathered around here to catch this first glimpse of Lewis in the red car.

 

“It’s the 2023 Ferrari he’s driving. The current car will be an evolution of this one, so it will be useful for Hamilton to get a feel of what Ferrari power is like. Remember, he’s driven a Mercedes-powered car for his entire F1 career.

 

British driver Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he steers a Ferrari Formula One SF-23 at the Ferrari private test track, in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

People gather outside the Ferrari track as they wait for British driver Lewis Hamilton who is scheduled to test a Ferrari Formula One SF-23, in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

British driver Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he steers a Ferrari Formula One SF-23 at the Ferrari private test track, in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

“He’ll be able to feed back on how his seat feels – he would have had that seat fitting just a few days earlier, how the steering wheel functions, just the general feel of the brakes in what are certainly very unrepresentative conditions here.

 

“It’s cold, it’s under 10 degrees Celsius, there’s fog as well. He isn’t using racing Formula 1 tyres but academy tyres that are inferior in performance. But he’ll get a few impressions, which will enable him to interface with his engineers and the rest of the team.

 

“It’s an emotional day for Lewis, and he has got his family here. His father Anthony, his mum Carmen, his stepmother Linda as well – they’re all sharing what is a very special moment for him out on this track here.”

 

Why was Hamilton testing an old Ferrari and what’s the test’s purpose?

F1’s testing regulations away from race weekends have long been restricted on cost-control grounds.

 

All teams are still working flat-out on their new 2025 cars behind closed doors at their respective factories with just over a month to go until pre-season testing takes place in Bahrain

 

With the latest challengers still therefore in development, Ferrari have taken advantage of the regulation that allows teams to run cars from certain recent seasons in order to give Hamilton an early taste of their working practices at the race track and the unique aspects of their cars.

 

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Take a look at what Hamilton got up to on his first day at Ferrari

It also gives Hamilton a first chance to sample a Ferrari engine, having exclusively used Mercedes power over the first 18 years of his F1 career at first McLaren and then the German manufacturer’s own team.

 

The Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rule for 2025 allows teams to run cars from the 2023, 2022 or 2021 seasons although, in a change for this year, current race drivers’ running in such machinery is capped to 1,000km across a maximum four days through the calendar year.

 

 

Ferrari are using the first of their TPC days at Fiorano.

 

Team boss Frederic Vasseur also indicated before Christmas that Hamilton could feature in one of Pirelli’s tyre test days in January and February.

 

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime

 

Hamilton to reunite with former trainer Angela Cullen as his Ferrari journey begins

 

F1 Correspondent & Presenter

 

Lawrence Barretto

7 hours ago

Third placed qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will reunite with his former trainer Angela Cullen as he begins his next chapter in Formula 1 with Ferrari.

 

Hamilton linked up with Cullen ahead of the 2016 season while at Mercedes, with the Briton hailing the positive impact the New Zealander had on his performances.

 

They went their separate ways ahead of 2023, after seven years working together, but it has emerged they will resume what had been a formidable partnership.

 

Sources say Cullen has joined Hamilton’s Project 44 company, which Hamilton created to assist with his new era at Ferrari and other business interests, as team physio.

 

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP walks in the Paddock with

Cullen had acted as trainer to Hamilton for seven years before the pair went their separate ways in March 2023

She will form part of the 40-year-old’s performance team, overseen by Marc Hynes – who resumed his partnership with Hamilton last year, having previously worked with the former Mercedes driver between 2016 and 2021.

 

Cullen – who had been working with Marcus Armstrong in Indycar – will attend the races alongside Hamilton.

 

Speaking in 2020, Hamilton said of Cullen: “People for sure won’t understand it, naturally, because they see it from a distance, but she has been one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in my life.

 

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of people… and she’s the single hardest-working woman that I get to be around.

 

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Hamilton began his new life at Ferrari this week

“She’s focused, selfless, and she makes my weekends peaceful,” Hamilton added. “Every day I wake up, whatever time it is, she’s just positive – never a single day has she been negative, so that’s very, very important.

 

“I think it’s important in life to put positive people around you. You can’t be going around with deadweights, you can’t be going around with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down. You need to be around people who can do that for you, and she’s one of them.”

 

The news comes in the week Hamilton began his new life at Ferrari, the Briton appearing at the squad’s Italian headquarters in Maranello for the first time on Monday.

 

Hamilton will spend the coming days and weeks integrating with his new team, clocking up miles in the simulator and getting his hands on Ferrari Formula 1 machinery for the first time as he prepares for his debut alongside Charles Leclerc.

 

 

 

Don’t miss your chance to be at the first Grand Prix of 2025 and experience the season-opener in Melbourne…

Lewis Hamilton may potentially hold more records than any other driver in Formula 1 history.

 

The seven-time world champion heads to Ferrari this winter as a seven-time world champion but looking to go clear of Michael Schumacher and win his eighth title for the Scuderia.

 

Lewis Hamilton’s time at Mercedes will go down in history after winning 14 championships together during their 12-season partnership.

 

However, there’s one record that remains part of Formula 1 history from their time together that doesn’t look like it’s going to be broken any time soon.

 

It’s hard to quantify who is the fastest F1 driver of all time, with the specifications and capabilities of the cars changing all the time.

 

Determining who the fastest driver is at any time on the grid is a tricky enough task, although it’s hard to argue against Max Verstappen during the ground effect era.

 

However, at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton set a lap record during qualifying that may never be broken.

 

It’s a memory that would live long in the memory of any fan at Monza that day had the circuit not been closed to the public due to the ongoing pandemic.

 

 

Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking lap at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix

Mercedes were the quickest team on the grid in 2020 and during practice, Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas went fastest in FP1 and FP3, with the Brit topping the other session.

 

Hamilton went fastest in Q1 with a 1:19.514, before Bottas set a 1:18.952 in Q2, becoming the only driver to dip under the 1:19 mark.

 

However, in Q3, Hamilton set a 1:18.887 which meant his average speed across the lap was 164.267 mph.

 

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton competes during the qualifying session at the Autodromo Nazionale circuit in Monza on September 5, 2020 ahe…

 

It beat the previous lap record set by Kimi Raikkonen by two-tenths of a second and still stands to this day.

 

After the lap, Hamilton said to the press: “The car wasn’t great on Friday and we had work to do.

 

“We made changes going into qualifying which I was a bit nervous about, but it was okay. The speed through the Lesmos felt pretty awesome and I got the clean laps I needed.”

 

Martin Brundle’s column on Sky Sports F1 after the weekend’s action described Hamilton as being ‘truly in a class of one’, but he didn’t win the race despite his obvious pace advantage.

 

That honour during a bizarre race went to Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri which to this day remains his only victory in Formula 1.

 

He was joined on the podium by Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, with Hamilton only coming home in P7.

 

Why Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap ever might not be broken for some time

If Formula 1 engineers and designers were allowed to try and create the fastest cars possible, then Hamilton’s record would only stand for a matter of minutes.

 

However, rule-makers have been tasked with making the sport as competitive as possible, rather than giving each driver the quickest car.

 

This has set up the 2025 season to be one of the most competitive campaigns in the sport’s history.

 

However, Lando Norris’ pole lap at Monza in 2024 was nearly half a second slower than Hamilton’s record time.

 

If McLaren – or any other team – are unable to find that time over the next few months, then the record is likely to stand until after the next set of regulations.

 

There are concerns about the 2026 F1 ruleset that the cars will be significantly slower than they are now.

 

It’s yet to be seen whether the racing will be better, but Hamilton might hold onto one of F1’s most interesting records for a little while longer.

 

 

 

Sir Lewis Hamilton’s car number has been confirmed for the coming season

Sir Lewis Hamilton’s car number has been confirmed for the coming seasonCredit: Rex

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