RaceFans Round-up: 21st February 2025

Comment of the day

Lewis Hamilton appears to have settled in well at Ferrari but will he ever get back to his best in F1’s current ‘ground effect’ era of cars?

Nice to see him excited. Hopefully the car will suit his strengths as clearly the last few iterations of the Merc didn’t although I’ve still got that nagging feeling that Lewis and others in the “older” bracket have difficulty showing the absolute best in the ground effect cars.

If he masters the car, I’ve no doubt that he’ll prove more than a match for his team mate. Much as I hate to admit it, Lewis is far an away one of the best drivers to sit in an F1 car and I doubt a competitive team mate will bother him one bit.DB-C90 (@Dbradock)

Social media and links

‘Big change’ – Horner warns Formula 1 about historic new rules that could end Verstappen’s dominance (TalkSport)

‘So it’s the first time car and engine in probably 50 years have been changed simultaneously. And inevitably there will be a divergence of performance at that point. It’s really important that FIA and the commercial rights holder, they make sure that the boundaries of that, that there’s the ability to recover quickly.’

Mercedes team principal rejects Sir Jim Ratcliffe-Ineos split talk claims ahead of 2025 season (source)

‘Jim Ratcliffe is one of us three amigos – Mercedes, Jim and I. We are never going to part ways. He’s been a great sponsor. We have had projects together. Nothing you read in the news will change anything.’

Inside Formula 1’s big pre-season party, the vibes are immaculate (GQ)

Stefano Domenicali: ‘We need to think we are not only a sport, we are entering a new dimension. It’s lifestyle, it’s entertainment.’

Arrow McLaren names Tony Kanaan as team principal, Kevin Thimjon as president (McLaren)

‘Tony, who raced his final Indianapolis 500 with the team in 2023, has since taken on increasingly influential roles within the organization, transitioning from special advisor in 2023 to team principal today.’

Hauger chose Indy Nxt over ‘a pretty good deal’ to stay in F2 for 2025 (Formula Scout)

‘For me it didn’t really make sense to do another year. If I won that year, it wouldn’t have been as impressive.’

Tsolov sweeps Day 2 of Barcelona pre-season testing for Campos Racing (Formula 3)

‘Nikola Tsolov and Campos Racing had a strong second day of running at the Barcelona pre-season test, the Bulgarian driver going fastest in both the morning and afternoon sessions.’

Grazie Tifosi pic.twitter.com/TNxYcE2Dfq

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 20, 2025

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