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One of the most captivating storylines of the 2025 Formula 1 season is Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, as the seven-time world champion embarks on a quest to secure his eighth title with the iconic Maranello team. This marks a significant chapter in his illustrious career, with Hamilton potentially becoming the first driver in F1 history since Jack Brabham to claim a championship at the age of 40. As he continues to build upon his remarkable legacy, Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari is set to be a major focal point of the upcoming season.
To officially begin their partnership, Ferrari will host a private test for Hamilton in late January, just after his departure from Mercedes at the end of December. This will mark a significant milestone, as it represents the first time Hamilton has joined a team outside the United Kingdom throughout his entire F1 career. This unique shift comes with its own set of challenges, including the language barrier. However, while Hamilton is not undertaking Italian lessons like his predecessor, Sebastian Vettel, there is one strategy he is adopting to help ease communication with his new team.
When Sebastian Vettel joined the Maranello team back in 2015, he recognized the importance of effective communication and thus enrolled in Italian lessons to foster a better relationship with his engineers and team members. This proactive approach allowed him to overcome any linguistic hurdles and helped him bond with the team more seamlessly. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is not following the same route of language lessons but is instead focusing on a different method to bridge the communication gap with his Ferrari engineers. As revealed by journalist Ben Hunt on the JA on F1 podcast, Lewis Hamilton has found an alternative approach that he believes will be just as effective in building rapport with the team, allowing him to focus on the task at hand.
Ben Hunt explained that the British driver is making an effort to learn, though he is not taking any formal classes. Instead, he will be focusing on learning phrases.
Lewis Hamilton is set to collaborate with Riccardo Adami, a highly experienced engineer, as his race engineer at Ferrari, marking the end of his longstanding partnership with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, which spanned over a decade. This change will be significant for Lewis Hamilton, as it will be the first time in his F1 career that he will work with a race engineer whose first language is not English. Despite the potential language barrier, Adami brings a wealth of experience to the table, having worked with notable drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, more recently, Carlos Sainz.
As Hamilton embarks on this new chapter with Ferrari, Anthony Davidson expressed optimism that the move could reignite the “magic” for Lewis Hamilton, especially after his visibly disheartened performance during the latter part of his final races with Mercedes. The hope is that the fresh environment and new dynamic within the Ferrari team will provide Hamilton with the motivation and energy needed to regain his competitive edge.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Hamilton will be eager to carry forward the progress Ferrari made with their 2024 car. The team achieved some promising breakthroughs towards the end of the season, and Hamilton will be hopeful that these improvements can be built upon in the upcoming year. With 2025 being the final year before the major rule changes in 2026, this could be a pivotal season for Hamilton as he aims to make the most of the current regulations and further solidify his legacy in the sport.
Jan 15, 2025
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