Alexandre
The story of Lewis Hamilton in the Scuderia Ferrari is still in its infancy, and already the seven-time World Champion is the talk of the town. After spending his entire career in Formula 1 with Mercedes engine blocks, the Briton discovered for the first time the power of Ferrari's V6 turbo hybrid. It's a big change, not to mention adapting to a new stable, a new country and even a new language.
"Very good, I try to make the most of it".
During the final winter test session in Bahrain, Hamilton shared his first impressions of the SF-25, and in particular of the Italian power unit. "The engine is different, both in sound and feel," he asserted. "I drove for years with a Mercedes engine, which was already excellent. It's nice to see that Ferrari also has a very good engine, and I'm working with the engineers to understand how best to exploit it."
The Brit admits he needs to review some of his driving habits. "It's strange at first," he confides, "because you have to change the way you approach corners, manage power distribution and even the acoustics in the cockpit. But I'm really enjoying it.
Ferrari, for its part, is delighted to have such an experienced driver to further optimize its engine. After two days of morning testing, Hamilton was given the opportunity to test his feel for different track conditions at the end of the day. compare his data with those of Charles Leclerc.
Enrico Gualtieri's view: a "priceless" return
Enrico Gualtieri, head of Ferrari's engine department, is particularly attentive to Hamilton's comments. With hardware development frozen since 2022, the Scuderia is concentrating on optimizing every detail before the introduction of all-new engine regulations in 2026. Hamilton's arrival is therefore a valuable opportunity to gather fresh feedback on the red power unit.
"The drivers are in a way the best possible sensor in the car. They perceive nuances that sometimes escape even physical sensors," explains Gualtieri. "We had a chat with him, and he gave us some interesting feedback on how he feels about our engine. It really helps us to perfect the package and adapt it as well as possible to his driving style."
Despite the development freeze, Gualtieri recalls that it is always possible to adjust certain parameters to make the engine more responsive and efficient. (Read more How did the team improve the SF-25 engine despite the rule freezing its development? ). Maranello's engineers are looking to fine-tune their powertrain, while taking into account the needs of the SF-25 chassis and the requirements of the aerodynamic team, who want to leave as much space as possible to optimize the car as a whole.