WeeklySA_AdminTEST MISTAKES: Report revealed that his first debut was not entirely trouble free as the car’s pedals proved an area of discomfort
By Sports Reporter
Lewis Hamilton was hamstrung by problems with the pedals during his first test with Ferrari this week, it has emerged, almost resulting in an embarrassing moment at Fiorano.
Hamilton linked up with Ferrari for the first time this week following his lucrative move from Mercedes for the F1 2025 season, meeting his new colleagues at the team’s Maranello factory.
The seven-time World Champion’s visit culminated in his first on-track outing behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car on Wednesday.
At the team’s Fiorano test track, Hamilton completed 30 laps (roughly 89 kilometres) with the team’s 2023 car.
Members of the 40-year-old’s family were in attendance, with the F1 icon later taking time to greet hundreds of Ferrari’s hardcore fans, the Tifosi, who had flocked to the circuit to witness Hamilton’s debut test.
Hamilton’s new team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is entering his seventh full season at Ferrari, took over the SF-23 in the afternoon session, completing 14 laps in wet conditions.
With the Fiorano outing classed as a private TPC [Testing of Previous Car] test, Ferrari have not released any details regarding Hamilton’s lap times.
However, a report by the Italian edition of Motorsport.com has revealed that his first Ferrari debut was not entirely trouble free as the car’s pedals proved an area of discomfort.
It is said that Hamilton tried various adjustments to the pedals throughout the test without finding a solution, with his discomfort resulting in a couple of mistakes.
Hamilton reportedly locked his brakes at the first corner and the hairpin when he tried to up his pace, twice coming close to running into the gravel run-off areas.
Ferrari are expected to resolve the issue with the pedals ahead of the team’s second private test of the winter at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the home of F1’s Spanish Grand Prix, next week.
The report adds that Hamilton adapted almost seamlessly to the Ferrari steering wheel after an 11-year stint with Mercedes, requesting just a few modifications after concerns that he would insist on sticking with the controls and functions he had memorised at his previous team.
Hamilton’s initial bond with new race engineer Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Carlos Sainz and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, was also described as ‘positive’.
Comfort in the cockpit appears to be key to Hamilton’s hopes at Ferrari having complained of a variety of issues across his final years as a Mercedes driver.
After struggling with porpoising throughout the first year of the current ground-effect rules in 2022, cockpit positioning proved to be a major irritation for Hamilton in 2023 as he complained of being sat too close to the front wheels.
Speaking at that year’s Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton described the sensation of sitting too close to the front as “one of the worst feelings” behind the wheel.
He said: “We sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers. Our cockpit is too close to the front.
“When you’re driving, you feel like you’re sitting on the front wheels, which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you’re driving a car.
“If you were driving your car at home, and you put the wheels right underneath your legs, you would not be happy when you’re approaching the roundabout.
“It just really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement and it makes it harder to predict compared to when you’re further back and you’re sitting closer, more centre.
“It’s just something I’ve really struggled with.”
Reports earlier this month claimed that Ferrari have moved the cockpit of their car – development of which is being led by Hamilton’s former Mercedes colleague Loic Serra – further back for F1 2025.
Serra, who joined Ferrari as chassis technical director last year, is understood to be particularly close to Hamilton having shared the driver’s concerns over the zero-pod design concept pursued by Mercedes in 2022/23.
Despite the pre-existing relationship between driver and engineer, it is unclear if Hamilton’s arrival has had any direct influence on Ferrari’s decision to alter the car’s seating position ahead of the new season.
Hamilton issued a short statement after his Ferrari test debut on Wednesday, revealing that he had “the biggest smile on my face” when he took to the track for the first time.
He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t sure how many more firsts I had but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning, was one of the best feelings of my life.
“When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost twenty years later, feeling those emotions all over again.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi! But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring.
“That passion runs through their veins and you can’t help but be energised by it.
“I’m so grateful for the love I have felt from everyone in Maranello this week, we have a lot of work to do but I can’t wait to get started.”
