Seven-time Formulation 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has opened up about his early-season difficulties with the Maranello staff and believes these struggles maintain the important thing to understanding why Charles Leclerc had the higher hand throughout the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion admitted that adapting to his new atmosphere has taken time however insists he’s now able to make changes to shut the hole to his teammate.
The 40-year-old crossed the end line in fifth place on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, trailing Charles Leclerc by eight seconds. With that consequence, the Monegasque driver prolonged his head-to-head benefit over Lewis Hamilton to 4-0 in Grand Prix races thus far this 12 months.
Regardless of what gave the impression to be one other underwhelming outing for the previous Mercedes star, there have been loads of positives to remove. Hamilton delivered a spirited drive, executing a number of daring overtakes on prime opponents similar to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
His tempo on race day confirmed clear enchancment, and for the primary time since his Dash Race victory in China, Lewis Hamilton appeared genuinely aggressive throughout the prime six. That sturdy exhibiting has given him confidence and a clearer image of what has held him again.
Reflecting on his efficiency in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton now believes he understands what has allowed his Maranello teammate to outperform him within the opening rounds. Armed with that perception, the British driver says he plans to refine his strategy within the coming races in a bid to match—and ultimately surpass—his teammate’s kind.
Lewis Hamilton mirrored on how tough it may be for drivers to interrupt outdated habits, particularly after spending so a few years with the identical staff. He defined that his long-standing driving model, developed over greater than a decade with Mercedes, didn’t instantly swimsuit the traits of his new Ferrari automobile.
The Briton identified that the transition had been difficult as a result of the Ferrari required a very completely different strategy—not solely by way of driving method but in addition in automobile settings. For instance, he famous that he saved counting on engine braking, one thing he had not often utilized in earlier seasons. The seven-time F1 world champion additionally talked about the numerous distinction in brake programs, having used Carbon Industries (CIs) for round 15 years, whereas the present setup—Brembo brakes—demanded a completely completely different really feel and adaptation.
He acknowledged that he’s nonetheless adjusting however felt he was steadily beginning to perceive what the automobile wants, each by way of steadiness and driving enter.
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that carrying over his acquainted Mercedes habits into his debut season with Ferrari hasn’t delivered the specified outcomes thus far within the 2025 Formulation 1 marketing campaign. The seven-time world champion, who boasts 105 Grand Prix victories, is now re-evaluating his strategy after a difficult begin with the Scuderia.
Following the Bahrain Grand Prix, the 40-year-old revealed that he plans to undertake a extra steady and constant set-up technique, mirroring the strategy utilized by his team-mate Charles Leclerc. Not like Lewis Hamilton, who’s well-known for experimenting with numerous automobile settings all through a race weekend, Charles Leclerc tends to decide on a working baseline early on and refines it steadily. Lewis Hamilton now believes that adopting an analogous methodology might present him with a extra stable basis to construct from.
The British driver acknowledged that making an attempt too many adjustments has typically left him disconnected from the perfect efficiency window, particularly when evaluating knowledge with Charles Leclerc. He identified that whereas his team-mate usually sticks with one set-up all through the weekend, his personal changes had typically taken him too far off target, notably in current races.
He admitted that whereas he managed to shut the hole to Charles Leclerc simply earlier than qualifying in Bahrain, their configurations had been nonetheless considerably completely different, which impacted his remaining efficiency. Lewis Hamilton careworn the significance of bettering his strategy throughout race weekends and expressed confidence that he’s able to doing so. He made it clear that he’s decided to refine his consistency and alignment with the automobile’s calls for transferring ahead.
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