Lewis Hamilton is slated to make his debut outing in a Ferrari Formula 1 car at Fiorano in January ahead of his first season with the Italian team.
Hamilton’s 12 seasons with Mercedes are finally at an end and the seven-time world champion is looking forward to his next chapter with the world-famous Scuderia.
The F1 world has been on tenterhooks ever since Hamilton and Ferrari announced their impending partnership ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Contractual ties and a pre-planned Mercedes farewell prevented Hamilton from making his official debut in red until 2025, but plans are being formed for his debut.
“We will have the opportunity to do a day of TPC or Pirelli tests but it is strictly linked to the weather and we have not made a decision,” said Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur in a Christmas media dinner (via AutoRacer).
AutoRacer reports that the planned running, weather permitting will be on January 21 or 22.
However, Vasseur is concerned with the tight time frame between now and F1’s season launch on February 18.
A Ferrari launch a day later precedes F1’s pre-season testing in Bahrain by just a week.
Vasseur said how “It’s always a challenge” fitting in private mileage at Fiorano ahead of the season’s festivities.
“Because it starts from the beginning of January until the season launch on the 18th in London, then we will do the real presentation on the 19th in Maranello,” he added.
“It means that we basically only have six weeks, which is not easy.”
Hamilton has had private visit to Ferrari in Maranello
Furthermore, AutoRacer reports that Hamilton has already had a private visit to Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy to get acquainted with his new team.
For Hamilton, the change from Mercedes to Ferrari is seismic, but Vasseur is confident that his new hire has the required experience to quickly get up to speed in his new environment.
“I think Lewis is very experienced, he is not the rookie of the year,” Vasseur said.
“It means that I am not worried about this at all and there is also the continuity of the previous regulation that comes in our favour.
“So this means that we have some reference. I am not worried.”
Still, Vasseur reiterated the limited timeframe within Ferrari, like its rivals, has to prepare before Round 1 of the 2025 season in Melbourne, Australia.
“It is true that it will be a challenge,” he said.
“If we imagine going to Bahrain and maybe having a storm like the one a couple of years ago, we know that we only have three days there and that is how it is.”
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