From February 26 to 28, 2025, the stables of Formula 1 meet at the Bahrain circuit for winter testing, an essential step in preparing for the start of the 2025 season. Among them, the Scuderia Ferrariwho has seen his team strengthened by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. After two days of intense testing, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took time out to share their impressions.
Lewis Hamilton: "The work continues
.@LewisHamilton racking up the laps in the morning session 👌 pic.twitter.com/G6xNwHr44M
- Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 27, 2025
Hamiltonwho began his adventure with Ferrari with a session at Fiorano, then took part in the Bahrain test session, where he was invited to take part in a series of tests. he focused his efforts on adapting to the SF-25. After twelve years with Mercedes, integrating into a new environment is a challenge, but the British driver seems well prepared. "I'm concentrating on integrating into the team," he explained, underlining the difference between his former team and the Scuderia.
During these first tests, Hamilton got to know the single-seater, familiarizing himself with its control systems and settings. "With every lap, I feel more and more comfortable with the car's systems," he added. He also emphasized the importance of communication with his track engineer, Riccardo Adami, a major change after being used to his long-time Mercedes engineer, Peter Bonnington. "Every time I come back to the pits, we adjust our exchanges to optimize our collaboration," he clarified, while insisting on the fact that that it's still in the learning phase.
In an interview with Canal +, Hamilton expressed his satisfaction with his first days with Ferrari. "It's been a great couple of days. The weather disrupted things a bit today, so we weren't able to do the planned 30 laps, but despite that, we made good progress on the program and, for me, the goal is to integrate as well as possible into the team." He stressed the importance of taking each day as it comes, focusing on learning and integration. "The work continues, and with each session I feel a little more comfortable with the car and its various control systems," he added.
Hamilton also recalled that, while it may seem like a long time, he's only spent a month with Ferrari, but he's impressed with the progress he's made in that short time. " We've made a lot of progress in such a short time. It's a collaborative effort, and it's going really well."
Charles Leclerc: "The feeling is good
Flying by @Charles_leclerc 👋 pic.twitter.com/F1iYAFHrOj
- Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 27, 2025
For Charles LeclercThe atmosphere during testing in Bahrain was also positive. Although the actual performance of the cars is still difficult to assess, the Monegasque stressed that he had a "good feeling" about the SF-25. "We're concentrating on our respective programs and, even though we're hiding our true performance, the feeling is pretty good," he said.
Leclerc also spoke about his new teammate, Lewis Hamilton, whom he compares to himself when he first joined Ferrari. "Lewis comes with immense experience and has already made his mark on the history of this sport. He brings a different perspective from me, but it's fascinating to see how he adapts," explained Leclerc. Leclerc also noted surprising similarities in their driving styles. "We're both asking the car for the same settings, which is positive because it allows us to look for solutions in the same direction."
A final day with even more performances?
The first tests were therefore studious, enabling Hamilton and Leclerc to lay the foundations for a solid collaboration within the Scuderia. "I'm pushing really hard to be ready for the first race," said Leclerc, who hopes to be able to take part in the first race. get the season off to a better start than last year. The time was still under 1 minute 30 seconds (1:29.379 for Hamilton and 1:29.431 for Leclerc), close to the qualifying time for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix (1:29.179 for Verstappen).