Lewis Hamilton will face a steep learning curve when he joins Ferrari at the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton will not be allowed to complete the post-season Abu Dhabi tyre test with his new team Ferrari at the end of the campaign. The Briton was contracted to Mercedes during the event, meaning he will not be able to use it to gain an advantage with his next employer.
Every year after the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, a group of test and reserve drivers, along with the incumbent drivers, stay behind to complete the post-season tyre test. Similar to FP1 rules, each team must give up at least one of their seats to a rookie with two or fewer starts.
In Hamilton’s case, some fans have theorised that Ferrari could put the Briton in one of their two cars for post-season testing, giving the 39-year-old valuable time to get used to the machinery that the Scuderia’s 2025 challenger will be modelled on.
However, according to a BBC Sport report, this is unlikely to happen. The chances of Hamilton getting behind the wheel of the SF-24 have been described as ‘zero’, with the seven-time world champion instead facing a major media task to cap off his title-laden tenure with Mercedes.
With Hamilton moving to Maranello in the winter, the learning curve will be steep, but the Briton has the ability to make a significant impact for Fred Vasseur’s team.
Charles Leclerc believes the same as he prepares to team up with the legendary Briton. Speaking to The Race, the Monaco driver explained: “Since I’ve been in Formula 1, I’ve been very lucky.
“Instead of thinking I wish I had a number two as a teammate, I always think it would be much better to have the best teammate. I’ve had very, very fast team-mates who have pushed me forward and with Lewis, I’ll learn a lot too.”
He then continued: “I’m very curious to see what he’s done right throughout his career to have all this success. He has very few weaknesses – in fact, I don’t know of any weaknesses in Lewis.
“He’s a super strong driver, always there, super fast, super consistent. It’ll be interesting to learn from Lewis, as well as show my ability in the same car as Lewis. Those two things motivate me a lot.”
