Lewis Hamilton’s preparations for his Formula 1 debut with Ferrari were expensive. He reported to their Maranello factory for the first time on 20 January.
In the weeks that followed, he conducted two tests in the 2023 car, one at Fiorano and one at Barcelona, to familiarise himself with the team’s process. He also took the SF-25 around the team’s private test track.
Hamilton’s work ethic has been praised this year. Former teammate Nico Rosberg has heard that the seven-time world champion is ‘pushing like crazy’ behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, this has yet to show up in his results. Hamilton hasn’t scored a Grand Prix podium in his first 14 races and still looks fundamentally uncomfortable in the Ferrari car after 12 years at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton only had access to limited set-ups in Ferrari simulator
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari’s new pull-rod front suspension improved precision on corner entry. However, it also led to increased understeer through ‘more twisty sections’ on certain tracks.
That, in turn, led Ferrari to dial up the steering sensitivity. Hamilton hoped he could find a happy medium in the team’s Maranello simulator.
But he found that he could only use a ‘limited number’ of base set-ups, having planned to trial a wide range of configurations. As a result, he isn’t able to fully anticipate exactly how various tweaks will alter the car’s behaviour.
The theory is that his set-ups haven’t been ‘optimal’ for the car’s aerodynamic balance, but ‘obstacles’ behind the scenes could explain why. Hamilton has sent documents of feedback to Ferrari across the last eight months, and one of his recommendations may be an upgrade to their simulator technology.
Ayrton Senna’s former manager gave Lewis Hamilton advice in Hungary
Piero Ferrari, son of legendary founder Enzo, says Ferrari are restricted by the cost cap. Unlike in the past, they can’t just keep spending to ‘fill the gaps’.
In theory, the simulator could have fallen down the list of budgetary priorities amid simultaneous development of the 2025 car and the 2026 engine/chassis.
Ferrari have introduced a number of major upgrades, which they will have tested in the virtual domain. But none have enabled them to challenge McLaren on anything like a consistent basis.
The Hamilton/Ferrari combination has fallen desperately short of explanations, and to put it simply, that indicates that several things have gone wrong at the same time.
Former McLaren coordinator Jo Ramirez offered Hamilton some counsel at the Hungarian GP, when he hit a psychological nadir. Ramirez, who used to oversee Ayrton Senna, urged him to be more positive.