lewis hamilton, ferrari, crash, sf-23 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton and Ferrari fears raised over 'internal friction' concerns

The seven-time world champion is preparing for his first campaign with the Scuderia

Kevin McKenna

Friday 31 January 2025 08:27

Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari could spark some 'internal friction' ahead of the 2025 season, according to an ex-Formula 1 driver.

Hamilton was officially unveiled by the Italian giants at their Maranello headquarters last week, where the seven-time world champion expressed his joy having finally realised a long-held dream of representing his new team.

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Two days later, he then enjoyed a first outing behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the nearby Fiorano circuit, much to the delight of fans who had turned out in force to see their new hero in action.

Hamilton's second on-track appearance, however, didn't go quite as smoothly, suffering a crash during testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Lewis Hamilton is continuing his preparations for his first F1 season with Ferrari

Hamilton will team up with Charles Leclerc at the Scuderia in 2025

The official Ferrari site are currently running a sale with up to 30 per cent off their existing F1 merchandise ahead of Hamilton’s arrival.

Ex-Williams star reveals Hamilton concerns

The 40-year-old's preparations are ramping up ahead of the season-opener in Melbourne on March 16, with further testing scheduled in Bahrain at the end of February.

Having experienced a frustrating final few years at Mercedes, Hamilton is eager to establish himself as a force in F1 once again, and put himself in a position to mount a serious challenge for an elusive eighth world drivers' championship.

To do that, he must get the better of his new team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is still searching for his maiden title triumph.

It is just one of a number of challenges the 105-time race winner must overcome if he is to achieve success, not least the fact that he will no longer be the main man within the team, a status previously held at the Silver Arrows.

Juan Pablo Montoya believes there there could soon be tension behind the scenes at Ferrari

And former Williams star Juan Pablo Montoya believes that could be a source of tension as the season progresses.

Speaking to CasinoApps, the Columbian said: "The thing that I find with Lewis at Ferrari that I find fascinating, is that you could put him in any team today other than Ferrari, and he would be the main character there.

"But, nothing is bigger than Ferrari, so how they control that and manage that I think is going to be very interesting.

"Everything at Mercedes followed Lewis, but I think at Ferrari will ask him to do things he won't like doing. There are just things Ferrari drivers have to do that others do not.

"I think if he goes in with the attitude that he could ‘get away with murder’, there may be some internal friction there.”