Lewis Hamilton admitted Ferrari have “work to do to enhance” as a technical problem interrupted his working on the ultimate day of Components 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The seven-time world champion, who’s getting ready to begin his first season with Ferrari having joined after 12 years at Mercedes, had loved an encouraging begin to testing as he completed second on the timesheet on Thursday.
Nevertheless, his plans to run a full race simulation within the closing session on Friday night have been blighted after Ferrari stated they “noticed an anomaly on the telemetry”.
Talking on Friday afternoon earlier than his closing alternative to drive the SF-25 forward of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from March 14-16, Hamilton stated he had been impressed by Lando Norris’ race simulation for McLaren on Thursday.
“McLaren did an amazing run yesterday, and I believe additionally Max did a good one in the present day, given the temperatures,” he stated. “It is laborious to know what gas masses everyone seems to be working, as we’re all doing our personal totally different programmes, so you need to take every thing with a pinch of salt.
“McLaren gained the constructors final 12 months. We count on them to be one of many quickest, if not the quickest, as with Crimson Bull, who dominated for a lot of, a few years.
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Lewis Hamilton posted back-to-back quickest laps within the Ferrari throughout a powerful begin to the second day of pre-season testing
“For us, we’re simply making an attempt to enhance. I have not even finished the long term but, so I am about to do it this afternoon, and I will get a little bit of a greater understanding of how this automotive behaves in a race stint.
“It is going be my first race stint in with the crew. I’ve solely finished brief runs of like 10 laps, so it will be attention-grabbing. We have undoubtedly received some work to do to enhance.”
Hamilton completed fifth on Friday, however frustratingly was solely capable of full 47 laps, in comparison with the 66 his team-mate Charles Leclerc managed within the morning session.
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George Russell could not resist waving at his former Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton throughout day three of testing
Making additional feedback in a press launch from Ferrari following the ultimate session, Hamilton added: “Total it has been an amazing few days and we have made some sturdy progress as a crew.
“We needed to end somewhat sooner than deliberate in the present day, and the climate has been laborious to foretell all week, however that is how testing works typically and we have managed to assemble loads of good data to construct on earlier than the season begins.
“The entire crew has finished an unbelievable job and I am so excited to get to the primary race in Melbourne. I am unable to wait to go racing with them.”
Vasseur: In all probability a unique story in Melbourne
The consensus within the paddock following three days of working was that reigning constructors’ champions McLaren stay the crew to beat.
Testing instances are all the time seen with warning as a result of groups and drivers working totally different programmes, however there was extra uncertainty on this event as a result of shocking climate on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit.
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Craig Slater and Ted Kravitz give their predictions as to which crew shall be quickest this season and who shall be slowest after testing in Bahrain
The temperatures have been far cooler than they’re more likely to be in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, and likewise when F1 returns to Bahrain for spherical 4 of the season in April.
Ferrari crew principal Fred Vasseur stated: “It has been laborious to get a transparent learn on the general scenario right here in Bahrain because the circumstances have been altering quite a bit daily and from the morning to the afternoon, so it was extra much like Las Vegas than to the Bahrain we normally know.
“Over the previous six months we have now labored very laborious on this automotive and we have now made enchancment however we should wait till we’re all on monitor in Melbourne to know the place we’re.
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Lewis Hamilton says he is actually having fun with driving the Ferrari and jokingly thinks about what an Italian model of ‘Hammer Time’ might be
“If we have a look at the hierarchy of earlier years, what we noticed right here was not the identical as in qualifying per week later, underneath the identical circumstances. We’ll go from 10-15 levels on the monitor to the 45 we may have in Australia, so in Melbourne it’ll in all probability be a complete totally different story.
“We wish to struggle for each championships as we all know we have now two drivers who can do it and the temper within the crew could be very optimistic. We’ll proceed to work laborious to be prepared in two weeks’ time for the beginning of the season.”
When is the primary F1 race?
For the primary time since 2019, the season-opener shall be held in Melbourne on the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16. The primary race has switched from Bahrain to Australia as a result of Ramadan going down all through March.
There are 24 occasions on the 2025 F1 calendar, the identical quantity as final 12 months, with the season ending on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 5-7.
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Components 1 season stay on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
