At least at Scuderia Ferrari, they're acting as if Lewis Hamilton had won seven world championship titles with them and was now preparing for his eighth. Meanwhile, there's a newcomer to the team, a certain Charles Leclerc...
The situation, however, is quite the opposite: At Ferrari, Hamilton is the newcomer, while Leclerc is the "old hand," and it's by no means certain that the currently overhyped world champion will be able to keep pace with him. It's also sometimes a little embarrassing that the social media channels of perhaps the most famous team in the world are practically 0-24 running as the Team LH FAN SITE—while Leclerc is barely mentioned. Of course, we understand that business is business, and now is the time for it, but somehow this still evokes a bit of mixed feelings.
But strictly speaking, based only on the facts, Lewis Hamilton completed his first laps with Ferrari today, taking the SF23 out on track and completing 30 laps. The Briton completed ten-lap stints, performing start-up exercises, all under different compounds and adverse weather conditions.
Next up was Charles Leclerc, who had already stopped using slicks, completing his first "introductory" laps of 2025 on wet tires. Nevertheless, Charles was in his element, delighting the large crowd of fans gathered for Hamilton's debut with a little extra show, which the audience naturally received with enthusiasm... To be continued soon, with more serious work.
