Lewis Hamilton is collaborating with Sebastian Vettel’s former Ferrari engineer this season. Fred Vasseur selected to retain Riccardo Adami in his position following the departure of Carlos Sainz. In response, Hamilton reached out to Vettel to inquire about Riccardo Adami, who started his F1 profession with Minardi, the predecessor to Toro Rosso. After the staff’s acquisition by Purple Bull, Adami labored with rising stars like Daniel Ricciardo earlier than becoming a member of Ferrari in 2015, simply as Vettel made his transfer to the Scuderia. Adami supported Vettel for six years, earlier than transitioning to the identical position with Sainz.
Over the previous decade, the Italian engineer has performed a pivotal position in serving to his drivers safe 18 race victories—14 for Sebastian Vettel and three for Carlos Sainz. Regardless of this spectacular document, Riccardo Adami has but to say a championship title.
At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton loved an unparalleled driver-engineer partnership with Peter Bonnington, the voice in his ear all through all six of his World Championships and 84 profession wins. When Hamilton introduced his transfer to Ferrari in February, many followers speculated whether or not Peter Bonnington would be a part of him in Italy. Nonetheless, Mercedes managed to retain the dear asset in anticipation of Kimi Antonelli’s arrival.
Now, Lewis Hamilton is working carefully with Riccardo Adami throughout Ferrari’s low season testing programme. Throughout 4 testing periods in Italy and Spain, Lewis Hamilton has pushed Ferrari’s 2023, 2024, and 2025 automobiles. In an interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter, he shared insights into his adaptation course of, emphasizing that Adami’s communication fashion is considerably completely different from Bonnington’s. This alteration is important, because it straight influences automotive setup selections and race methods. Any miscommunication may derail a race weekend, making the adjustment course of much more necessary.
Moreover, the British driver has talked about the unfamiliar show on the Ferrari steering wheel, underscoring the challenges that include transitioning to a brand new staff. Reflecting on the method, he has developed a larger respect for each Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, recognizing the immense effort required to change into absolutely snug inside Ferrari’s system.
The seven-time Components 1 world champion talked about feeling very aligned with everybody at Ferrari, however famous that the expertise within the automotive was fully completely different. He defined that the messages he acquired had been a lot completely different from what he had skilled earlier than, and that all the pieces displayed on the dashboard was unfamiliar. The British driver added that the setup of the entrance and rear was additionally completely different, though the purpose remained related. The terminology used, nevertheless, was one other problem he highlighted. He expressed that there was way more to debate, however emphasised that with willpower, they had been placing in all the mandatory work to adapt.
Ferrari followers have humorously poked enjoyable at Lewis Hamilton after a specific second through the 2025 automotive take a look at. Former Components 1 world champion Nigel Mansell expressed that it might be a “dream come true” if Hamilton had been to safe his first race victory in Australia. Such a triumph would mirror Fernando Alonso’s 2010 win on the Bahrain Grand Prix, marking a major milestone in Hamilton’s profession.
Nonetheless, the British driver has been clear in stating that it could take a while for him to totally unlock the potential of his facet of the storage. He identified that it wasn’t till simply earlier than the summer time break in 2013 that he managed to say his first victory with Mercedes, highlighting the significance of persistence when adjusting to a brand new staff and automotive.
It’s additionally important to notice that Lewis Hamilton has signed a multi-year contract, that means that 2025 isn’t a make-or-break season for him. Nonetheless, Ferrari followers are optimistic concerning the staff’s prospects this 12 months, notably given their sturdy current kind. Furthermore, the upcoming 2026 regulation modifications add a component of uncertainty to the long run, making this season essential for Ferrari as they intention to maximise their efficiency.
At 40 years outdated, Lewis Hamilton is predicted to have gathered substantial observe time earlier than the season formally begins. He has already pushed the SF-25 throughout pre-season testing in preparation for the three-day Bahrain take a look at. Nonetheless, Ferrari followers couldn’t resist teasing Hamilton after he appeared to take a “tea break” throughout his session, including a lighthearted contact to the proceedings.
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