Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari onboard footage has become a major talking point during F1 testing, with expert opinions shifting throughout the sessions.
On Thursday, Karun Chandhok observed that Hamilton appeared at ease in the SF-25, able to control and manipulate the car with confidence. However, by the final session, Alex Brundle had raised fresh concerns. Unlike the previous two days, Charles Leclerc was first to hit the track on Friday, taking an early run in the SF-25 before the Australian Grand Prix. The Monegasque topped the morning timesheets, ahead of Kimi Antonelli, who stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes seat.
The general consensus last season was that Lewis Hamilton struggled to feel at one with the Mercedes W15. While he managed to extract performance on occasion—most notably during an emotional win at Silverstone, followed by another in Belgium—he often appeared to be battling the car rather than working in harmony with it. The primary issue was rear instability, which repeatedly hampered his confidence.
According to Ralf Schumacher, the British driver finds it difficult to perform at his best when the rear of the car feels unsettled. If Ferrari hopes to unlock his full potential, they must ensure a more stable platform.
Alex Brundle: Hamilton’s Ferrari struggled with handling in Bahrain testing
Alex Brundle, having observed the Ferrari both from trackside and through Hamilton’s onboard footage, noted that the SF-25 seemed particularly vulnerable to tailwind conditions.
While there’s a possibility that Lewis Hamilton’s engineers simply experimented with an ineffective setup—one that can be corrected—external factors like rising track temperatures in Bahrain may also have played a role.
A key phrase often used in F1 is ‘working window’—the team that develops the most adaptable car is usually the one that fights for the championship. If Ferrari’s setup is too sensitive to conditions, it could spell trouble for their title ambitions.
Lewis Hamilton is looking to the past for guidance, taking inspiration from former Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Neither managed to secure a championship with the Scuderia, but both claimed early victories. Now, the British driver aims to follow in their footsteps—but with the ultimate goal of going one step further.
Alex Brundle remarked that the Ferrari seemed particularly difficult to drive during the afternoon session. He had been watching it closely earlier and noticed several issues. He pointed out problems at the exit of turn four, the entry of turn 11, and the mid-corner of turn 13, where the car appeared to go wide. Brundle observed that whenever the Ferrari was exposed to a tailwind, Lewis Hamilton struggled to find the right line into the apex. He described the car’s performance as unsettling, saying it looked “really, really nasty” based on the adjustments made to the Ferrari. The F1 TV Commentator suggested that, although teams sometimes try different approaches, the car didn’t seem to respond well, calling it “horrid” overall.
Netflix quickly jumped into action when they noticed Lewis Hamilton having a conversation with Carlos Sainz in the F1 paddock, eager to capture the moment. The buzz surrounding Ferrari’s sidepods has been a major topic of discussion, with technical expert Sam Collins noting that everyone is talking about them. Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, made a bold statement, claiming that the new car would be “99% different” from its predecessor. This was a striking claim, especially given that the regulations had not seen any significant changes.
Despite this, Ferrari had already built a competitive car last year, finishing just 14 points behind McLaren in the standings. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both contributed to the team’s success, with five race wins and a remarkable 22 podium finishes. Sainz, in particular, will be eager to prove that McLaren made a mistake by letting him go.
As for the meeting between Hamilton and Sainz, it naturally piqued the interest of the media, especially Netflix, who were keen to record the interaction. The drama and ongoing narrative surrounding Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari have made these moments highly anticipated and worthy of attention, with cameras ready to capture any exchanges between the two drivers.
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