F1 Rumor: Ferrari To Extend Lewis Hamilton's First Outing In Updated Onboarding Plan

Saajan Jogia | Jan 4, 2025

Italian Grand Prix - 2023 Ferrari / Ferrari Press Image

As Ferrari plans to put Lewis Hamilton in one of its old cars as part of its Testing of Previous Cars session to get him acquainted with Ferrari machinery before his official season debut in the 2025 challenger, a report now claims that Ferrari has altered plans by extending his track outing.

The seven-time world champion became a Ferrari driver on 1 January 2025, which followed an inspirational post from him on social media. Now though, Ferrari's renewed plans for getting him started with the season have been unveiled by the Italian version of Motorsport.com, which reveals a 1000+ kilometers track session for the Briton, spread across four days but subject to weather conditions.

An updated version of the sporting regulations released on December 11 states that a driver competing in the Formula 1 championship is subject to mileage and duration restrictions during TPC tests. A driver can drive for up to 1000 kilometers and a four-day limit has been imposed. Non-F1 world championship drivers are allotted a duration of up to twenty days with no limit on the mileage.

Ferrari intends to provide Hamilton with the 2022 or 2023 car for testing at the Fiorano circuit from January 20 to 21, with the schedule subject to weather conditions. This will be followed by a session at the Barcelona Circuit, with exact dates also contingent on the weather.

A separate report suggests that Charles Leclerc will not participate in any tests with Ferrari’s older cars this year, as the full allocation has been dedicated to Hamilton. The former Mercedes driver’s four-day testing program may also extend beyond the initial schedule, not to familiarize Hamilton with Ferrari's machinery but to help him build rapport with his new team and colleagues.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had revealed simulator sessions for the new Ferrari driver, but with the updated testing plan, its schedule remains unclear, especially since Vasseur isn't that worried about Hamilton's onboarding, given his extensive F1 experience. He said:

"For sure we know that we will have a lot of procedures to assimilate during these couple of days, but I think he is experienced enough to do it, that we'll have the advantage to have the simulator.

"Obviously he will be able to do a race simulation, qualy simulation into the simulator, and to be fully prepared with the steering wheel and the particularities of the race. But honestly, I'm not worried about this. It's not the biggest challenge."