Lewis Hamilton is unlikely to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari in post-season Abu Dhabi testing together with his Method One debut trying set for the beginning of subsequent yr.
The seven-time world champion is leaving Mercedes after 12 seasons and can swap to the Italian group for 2025, however any hopes that he might familiarise himself with their automobile earlier than the brand new season have receded. Mercedes have given no indication the Briton could be launched early from his commitments for the post-season tyre check in Abu Dhabi after December’s season finale.
It’s understood Hamilton will nonetheless need to undertake some end-of-year promotional commitments that embody an look for Mercedes’ sponsor Petronas on the day of the Abu Dhabi check. Fred Vasseur, the group principal, mentioned Ferrari’s plan was to ease Hamilton into his new environment by getting him to drive a few of their older race automobiles. “I’m undecided that he wants tons of hours of acclimatisation,” Vasseur instructed Autosport. “He’s skilled sufficient to be fast on the primary day, or not less than very quickly. We’ll have one or two TPC [testing of previous cars] days, plus the check in Bahrain, and that will probably be sufficient.”
The TPC guidelines enable groups to run automobiles “designed and constructed with a view to adjust to the Technical Rules of any of the three (3) calendar years falling instantly previous to the calendar yr previous the yr of the championship”.
Vasseur added: “For positive we’ve got a part of the group already specializing in ‘25, on the check plan, on the communication and so forth, with Lewis being a part of this. However not on the race group, and it’s not on my thoughts.”
In the meantime Greg Maffei, the Liberty Media president and chief govt, will step down from his roles on the finish of 2024. The American company, which took management of Formula One in 2017, says Maffei will step down following the expiration of his contract on the finish of the yr. The present chairman, John Malone, will grow to be interim CEO, whereas Maffei will function a senior adviser from 1 January 2025 to “assist the administration transition”.
