Ferrari has attempted to erase the memory of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes when he drove in his first simulator sessions.
Scuderia engineers used extreme methods in the simulator to help the seven-time world champion assimilate to his new F1 single-seater philosophy.
Not only will Hamilton have to get used to new working practices and a completely different car at Ferrari, but it will be the first time in his 18-year F1 career that he will drive with an engine other than a Mercedes.
To achieve this, Hamilton drove the end-of-season version of Ferrari’s 2024 single-seater in its first simulation sessions.
Ferrari simulated different setups and settings, including deliberately changing suspension calibrations, engine maps and load levels, to try to give other very different first cues and see how it converged to something Ferrari actually uses .
-And the engineers were amazed to see how quickly Hamilton recalibrated the car in the windows usually used by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz with the SF-24 last year.
Ferrari of course intends to upgrade to the 2025 model to give Hamilton a direct comparison between the two cars before it is officially revealed to the public on February 19, when Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to make a first test at Fiorano as a shakedown.
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