Lewis Hamilton is learning Ferrari. The seven-time F1 world champion doesn’t have the same knowledge of the team as Leclerc, who is in his seventh season with the Scuderia. The difference is huge. Lewis spent over a decade at Mercedes, then changed country, lifestyle, and working methods. It takes time to perform at one’s best, especially when a car has issues and doesn’t meet expectations.
The Scuderia’s Teamwork
According to so-called experts, the Italian team should put itself in the hands of the Briton. His vast F1 experience makes him a superb test driver. An asset Ferrari should take advantage of, but is not. However, let’s start from a key point: it’s not that the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers are in disagreement. On the contrary, they feel the same things, suffer from the same problems, and think of the same solutions.
For this reason, the argument falls apart at the source, and it’s surprising that former drivers or insiders keep speculating about situations that don’t actually exist. The strength of a Formula 1 team also lies in this: unity of purpose. The Stevenage-born talent is strongly aligned with the rest of the team, and has no problems whatsoever with Charles Leclerc. On the contrary, their relationship is very good, and he draws on the advice of the person who shares the garage with him.
Fred Vasseur has been very clear on this point. Even before the 2025 championship began, he always spoke about this situation, stressing that one of the most important factors for reaching the top is indeed teamwork. In Bahrain there will be a chance to show this, as Ferrari will conduct comparative testing to gather varied data useful for the cause.
Bahrain an Ideal Scenario for the New Floor
Hamilton believes that the new floor specification will solve all the problems. He especially emphasizes that having it in Bahrain, where they already have a lot of data on the car due to pre-season testing, guarantees a deeper understanding essential for cross-referencing data. That’s another reason he’s feeling very positive. And indeed, although the Sakhir track isn’t one of the most complete circuits, this element will be crucial.
The intense simulator work done over the past days, combined with the data from testing, will therefore be decisive according to the Briton. There are few doubts: the new floor will solve all of the SF-25’s instability issues. The goal is to match McLaren’s performance—yesterday accused of illegality by Max Verstappen—and fight for victory. The step forward is more eagerly awaited than ever in Bahrain.
Ferrari Knows How to Manage the Weekend
The Briton, like his teammate, doesn’t believe that Ferrari’s performance gap with the MCL39 will already be completely closed in Sakhir. Nevertheless, he is convinced that the Scuderia will get closer, as both drivers will finally be able to shake off all the issues linked to the car’s poor drivability. It’s a crucial update, as this component could change the fate of an F1 car.
And Lewis is absolutely right. Without going too far back, let’s remember the massive performance difference triggered by last year’s Monza upgrade, when after struggling at the back, the SF-24 went on to win 3 out of the next 5 races. So… expectations are high for this weekend, which will also see Dino Beganovic debut in FP1 in place of Charles Leclerc.
The Scuderia isn’t worried about this situation, knowing it will have all the time needed to study the new developments and still move forward with comparative testing. Then, in the second session, the full team will also have Charles’s feedback to complete the picture. We just have to wait a few more hours for the first insights, watching the SF-25’s behavior through the onboard footage.
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