Lewis Hamilton’s start with Ferrari hasn’t been smooth, leading to some intriguing insights into the car’s performance.
- After switching from Mercedes, Hamilton finds himself struggling to match teammate Charles Leclerc’s pace, citing car differences.
- Despite a strong performance, a disqualification in China adds to the challenges for Hamilton and his new team.
- Ferrari’s car setup experimentation continues as they search for the right formula to improve their competitive edge.
- Upgrades are on the horizon, bringing hope for Hamilton and Ferrari to narrow the gap with their rivals.
Lewis Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari has been met with unexpected challenges, despite the high-profile move from Mercedes. As the new season unfolds, the seven-time World Champion is grappling with a performance gap between his car and that of his teammate Charles Leclerc. Hamilton has hinted at a “deficit” in his car’s performance as a significant issue, though he’s remained tight-lipped about the specifics.
The early races have seen Hamilton fail to break into the top six, a stark contrast to his past successes. A victory in the Chinese GP sprint was short-lived as both he and Leclerc faced disqualifications for car irregularities, putting the spotlight on Ferrari’s technical challenges. Reports suggest that the SF-25 car is struggling with ride height issues, a situation Hamilton acknowledges as problematic, claiming the car is running “higher than we would like.”
This season, Ferrari’s contrasting car setups have also been under scrutiny. At Suzuka, Leclerc maintained the setup used in earlier races, while Hamilton opted for a different configuration. This move highlights Hamilton’s adaptability but also underscores the challenges Ferrari faces in finding a consistently competitive setup.
Hamilton remains optimistic, however. With Ferrari’s first significant upgrade of the season set to debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, there is hope that these changes might improve performance. Hamilton, tasked with spearheading the evaluation of the new floor, expressed confidence that these upgrades would help the team extract more from the car.
Despite these efforts, Hamilton concedes that closing the gap to teams like McLaren won’t happen overnight. Last season, Ferrari narrowly missed the Constructors’ Championship, finishing just 14 points behind McLaren. This year, they’ve fallen further behind but remain hopeful that strategic upgrades will help them regain their competitive edge.
While challenges remain, Ferrari and Hamilton aim to turn things around with strategic upgrades.
