After the thunderclap, last February, of Lewis Hamilton's transfer to Ferrari, his final season at Mercedes was tinged with disappointment. Despite his two victories this summer at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, the British driver's current form calls into question his physical and mental abilities before leaving the German team, after 12 years and six world titles. During the Qatar Grand Prix, he suffered a series of disappointments: false start (5 second penalty), speeding in the pits (drive-through penalty) and puncture while driving on Albon's rear-view mirror: Sir Lewis lost 12th place in Qatar after asking to retire 10 laps from the end of the race.
The native of Stevenage seems psychologically tired at the end of the season. Interviewed during this weekend's Sprint race in Qatar. At the microphone of Canal+, the director of the Scuderia responded to emerging apprehensions about the arrival of a Hamilton who seems extinct: “I look at the 50 laps he did at Vegas, starting from 10th, finishing behind Russell's gearbox, I'm not worried at all. »
For Vasseur, Hamilton is still in the game
The Frenchman took the opportunity to highlight the Briton's performance and pace in Las Vegas, a race in which he started in the middle of the pack before finishing 2nd behind his teammate George Russell. A reassuring result, while Lewis Hamilton will join the Scuderia on January 1st without going through post-season testing in Abu Dhabi.
Vasseur had also shown his confidence in his future driver with Autosport, despite his absence during the tests at Yas Marina: “I'm not sure he needs tons of acclimation hours. He is experienced enough to be fast from day one, or at least very quickly, assures the boss of the Scuderia. We will have one or two days of testing with old cars, plus the Bahrain test, and that will be enough. Part of the team is already focusing on the 2025 season, on the testing plan, on communication and so on, with Lewis being part of it, but not the racing team and personally, I don't think about it not. »
However, the Scuderia is preparing a special program for Lewis Hamilton before the first winter tests in Bahrain (February 26-28): the Briton will have the opportunity to drive old Ferraris on the Fiorano circuit, in order to acclimatize to his new environment.
ALSO READ > Decryption: Has Lewis Hamilton really lost his mojo in Formula 1?
