Lewis Hamilton consults his crystal ball, making an early prediction about the threat posed by rivals McLaren and Red Bull for 2025. The seven-time world champion takes the teams’ data from testing days with ‘a grain of salt’. Although Hamilton is not a big fan of testing, he is pleased that Ferrari allows him to drive various cars.
Lewis Hamilton has completed his first test days in the service of Ferrari. The British driver naturally hopes to clinch that long-cherished eighth world title with the Italian team, but he remains skeptical about achieving this by 2025. Hamilton expects both McLaren and Red Bull to give the Scuderia a hard time.
“McLaren has done a great job, and I think Max Verstappen has also done well, even with the temperatures on the last test morning,” Hamilton shares in Bahrain. It was on the Friday morning in Bahrain that the circuit really heated up for the first time during the test days.
McLaren is not yet ready to claim the role of favorite, and Red Bull remains cautious after a ‘not as smooth test as we had expected’. According to Hamilton, all conclusions from the different teams should be taken with ‘a grain of salt’. “McLaren won the constructors’ competition last year. We expect them to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, just like Red Bull, which has dominated for many, many years.”
Testing of Previous Cars
Ferrari has kept its cards close to its chest during the testing days, leaving much unclear about the SF-25. What is clear, however, is that Scuderia Hamilton has been clocking up many miles in various Ferrari models ahead of the opening race in Melbourne. “I’m still not a fan of testing, but I’ve really enjoyed the tests I’ve done this year,” says Lewis Hamilton, who is particularly grateful for the Testing of Previous Cars regulation.
“If I had only had these one and a half days (of F1 tests for the season), I certainly wouldn’t be in the position I am in now, in terms of how comfortable I feel with the car,” the Brit continues. In addition to the SF-25 in Bahrain, Hamilton also drove the SF-23 in his first work week for Ferrari. “There’s still work to be done, but right now I’m just excited to start racing.”
