Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari in Italy — Photo: © IMAGO

GPFans Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: Stunning Hamilton debut test details revealed ahead of Ferrari arrival

Lewis Hamilton is officially now a Ferrari driver

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 16 January 2025 08:27 Updated: 17:59

GPFans sprak voor dit artikel exclusief met de betrokkenen

Details surrounding Lewis Hamilton's debut Formula 1 test have been revealed by a former team member.

Hamilton started his F1 career with McLaren, bursting onto the scene in 2007, already challenging for a world championship title, before claiming his first of seven championships in 2008.

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Following a highly-successful 12-season spell with Mercedes in which he went on to beat Michael Schumacher's all-time record of race victories and join the German legend on seven championships, Hamilton has decided to make the switch to Ferrari.

The 40-year-old is set to make his debut with the Maranello outfit later this month as part of their testing of previous cars (TPC) programme, before his Ferrari grand prix debut in Australia in March.

Lewis Hamilton will race for Ferrari in the 2025 season

Lewis Hamilton will once again be working with his old boss Fred Vasseur

Hamilton F1 debut details revealed

Hamilton will work with former boss Fred Vasseur at Ferrari in 2025, a man he previously worked with during his GP2 days, claiming that particular title in 2006.

His immense talent became clear from the early stages of his single-seater career, and a test with the McLaren team in their 2006 car confirmed to the team that he was the right man for their new era, with both Kimi Raikkonen and Pedro de la Rosa departing the Woking outfit.

Now, Liam Lawson's trainer Matt Tait, who worked with Hamilton during his early days with McLaren, has exclusively provided GPFans with details on those initial tests with the team.

"I mean, he was quite a timid lad when I met him," Tait exclusively told Jim Kimberley on behalf of GPFans.

"He was quite timid. He was just very focused on racing, just asked questions all the time. How can I improve?

"So, like, engineering questions over the radio, like, he was constantly asking them, how he can improve, what can he do better, how can he drive the car, is his braking points okay, is he hitting the apex, is he doing this right, is he doing that right, how does he compare to the other drivers?

Lewis Hamilton won the GP2 championship in 2006

"I would just say it's more, he was just thirsty for knowledge. And then we'd go for dinner, we'd talk about how was it physically, how did he find it, and then he's like, 'what can I do to improve?'

"'How can I get stronger here? How can I get stronger there? What can I do about this? How's best to recover? What should I be eating?'

"Like, it's just all the time, and it was any little point that he could get a one per cent improvement, he wanted to do it.

"I mean, it was 2006 when I spent the most time with him," Tait continued, talking about Hamilton's GP2-winning season. "And you know, that just came out all the time.

"Like, he just really wanted to learn, and he wanted that seat. He really wanted that seat, and he would do anything to get there and push himself to get there. And that's just the mark of, of the lad, really.

"Yeah, I've got nothing, nothing bad to say about my experiences with Lewis, like, in terms of a competitor and a racing driver and just an overall nice lad.

"Like, that's the Lewis I knew. Obviously, like, things have changed, and you know, we all grow up. So whether he's still like that, I don't know."

Geschreven door

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes McLaren Michael Schumacher