Lewis Hamilton’s preparations for his debut Formula 1 season with Ferrari continued on Tuesday as he drove the team’s 2023 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Hamilton made his long-awaited maiden outing in a Ferrari in the SF-23, the sole car to beat Red Bull’s all-conquering RB19 to a win, last week at the squad’s Fiorano track.
The Briton was reunited with the 2023-spec Ferrari, the latest car that adheres to the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rules, at the long-time home of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton would have acquired even more understanding about how the Ferrari power unit operates compared to the Mercedes engine that he had been accustomed to.
Meanwhile, he also would have spent more time working with new race engineer Riccardo Adami as the duo learn how to communicate together on and off the track.
Hamilton’s run succeeded team-mate Charles Leclerc, sporting a revised red and white helmet design, beginning a test which is expected to be run across three days.
Ferrari posted photographs online but didn’t release details about the mileage that Leclerc and Hamilton, who managed 30 laps at Fiorano, amassed between them.
However, the clampdown on in-season testing that has been introduced means that all laps completed will be deducted from each driver’s annual total of 1000km.
Hamilton is in line to sample Ferrari’s 2024 charger, the SF-24, as the side is poised to participate in a test next week with the 18-inch Pirelli wheels that will be used in 2026.
That is anticipated to be the final private outing that Hamilton will make with Ferrari prior to the single pre-season test taking place in Bahrain between 26-28 February.
The seven-time F1 champion will be present alongside Leclerc and senior Ferrari personnel when the unnamed 2025 car is launched and shaken down on February 19.
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