After the hype, comes the strain and weight of expectation.
The curiosity in Lewis Hamilton’s first few weeks at Ferrari has been nothing in need of exceptional. Followers cramming themselves onto the bridge that overlooks the corporate’s Fiorano check monitor will not be precisely uncommon, however the sheer numbers, the media presence, the makes an attempt to delve into lap instances on a humid and chilly circuit when objects reminiscent of consolation and procedures are prime of the agenda — the eye was enormous.
Ferrari’s social media accounts felt a giant bump too, with each likelihood to see Hamilton in purple being lapped up by thousands and thousands. And I’m not exaggerating with the usage of thousands and thousands, as a number of posts on Instagram obtained comfortably over seven figures by way of interactions.
To be honest to Ferrari, it has taken loads of alternatives to construct on the cravings of followers. With the testing of earlier automobile (TPC) outing at Fiorano being adopted by one other in Barcelona final week, after which much more Pirelli tire testing on the identical venue over the previous few days, there have been plenty of probabilities to seize Hamilton in purple. And that’s even earlier than the discharge of the brand new driver overalls and workforce equipment.
The content material is more likely to preserve coming, as a result of it carries such vital worth, however with every passing picture or video of Hamilton driving a Ferrari we are going to all change into that bit extra accustomed to it, and the novelty will begin to put on off.
And that’s when the intense enterprise will start.
The shock of seeing No. 44 in purple could also be sporting off, however the drama it’s constructing is simply getting began.
Don’t get me unsuitable, Ferrari and Hamilton (and Charles Leclerc) have been working laborious already and will definitely rely the previous few weeks as critical enterprise, however there’s a swell of pleasure of anticipation at this stage of the yr. That’s going to offer method to expectation and actuality, and no person is aware of precisely how that’s going to look.
Ferrari was actually spectacular within the second half of final yr, as was Leclerc, with the pair prime scoring within the two respective championships from the summer time break onwards. Had Ferrari managed to beat McLaren to the constructors’ title in Abu Dhabi it could have been a exceptional achievement, however the total rating from Zandvoort onwards suggests the momentum is with Fred Vasseur’s workforce.
You may learn how Leclerc is primed for an important yr on a private stage in Edd Straw’s latest column, however Ferrari is in the same place as a workforce total. It has constructed up a head of steam and put itself firmly within the dialog for successful championships heading into 2025, alongside McLaren and Pink Bull. Something lower than that might be a disappointment.
There’s been little to recommend Ferrari will fail to ship on its promise, given the progress that has been displayed below Vasseur’s management. However that doesn’t imply there will likely be something straightforward about making an attempt to proceed that good kind.
At this level, merely seeing Hamilton and Ferrari working collectively continues to be thrilling, however as soon as pre-season testing will get underway and the true problem of tackling races involves the fore, then outcomes are going to be the principle supply of curiosity and positivity.
Hamilton didn’t be a part of Ferrari to ease into retirement. There could have been a number of causes, however even in case you simply take a look at it on a easy, sporting stage, he’s shifting from a Mercedes workforce that has largely struggled within the floor impact period, to a workforce that has received races in the entire previous three seasons and proven higher week-to-week consistency.
If the Ferrari is aggressive, then the strain is immediately going to be excessive between the 2 teammates. I’m not predicting a foul relationship by any stretch, however when on one facet of the storage there may be Leclerc, making an attempt to point out Ferrari that he’s nonetheless the driving force who will ultimately ship a drivers’ championship getting into his seventh season with the Scuderia, and the opposite is Hamilton, who routinely instructions respect wherever he drives given his unbelievable file, it’s not a easy dynamic.
But that can nonetheless be much better than if Ferrari will not be fairly in race-winning kind at the beginning of the season. Given the way in which it ended final yr – and the one-two in Melbourne 12 months in the past – expectations are that the SF-25 will likely be a challenger, however fall in need of that concentrate on and issues may change into very tense, in a short time.
Leclerc has already construct a powerful relationship with the Ferrari workforce and its tifosi, however racing alongside Hamilton will make a brand new dynamic.
Hamilton can not afford to attend for much longer for an additional correct shot at a drivers’ championship, and the large regulation adjustments of 2026 current a significant unknown. If it’s not this yr, then it may very well be a number of seasons earlier than one other likelihood presents itself.
And that might signify a barely extra pressing scenario for Leclerc, too. At 27 he has way more time on his facet than Hamilton, in fact, however the Monegasque seems to be smoothing sure tough edges and producing extra constant race performances that recommend he’s very near — if not already at — his prime. The dynamic for him has additionally modified from being Ferrari’s future to Ferrari’s now.
In fact, each of these eventualities are pre-emptive, however that is Ferrari, and that is Lewis Hamilton. For higher or worse, neither will get the good thing about endurance or caveats. They’ve each achieved an excessive amount of, and have an excessive amount of potential.
There was a glimpse of it when Hamilton broken the SF-23 in the course of the TPC check at Barcelona, with the automobile requiring repairs earlier than it may run once more. The scramble to search out out what occurred, the protection such a second obtained — when different drivers have most actually crashed throughout a TPC however by no means seen it reported — exhibits the extent of highlight that’s going to be on this partnership.
There are such a lot of permutations for the way this season may go, and the efficiency of the automobile will at all times be central to these. As soon as it runs in anger in Bahrain, the first-day-in-a-new-job bounce could have lengthy since been changed by the steely dedication of the opponents that exist inside Hamilton, Leclerc and Ferrari.
From then on, it would all play out in entrance of a worldwide viewers, quite than a couple of hundred at Fiorano and thru the lens of Ferrari’s social media channels. Whichever route it takes from that time goes to be field workplace.
