The Lewis Hamilton effect is already upon Ferrari. The Frederic Vasseur-led team is pulling all the stops for a game-changing 2025 season when the 7-time champion arrives looking for his 8th. Major organizational changes are in effect and the news of their latest technical development for next year is making waves. Turns out, Hamilton’s arrival will play right into Charles Leclerc’s hands and end the effect that Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel had on Ferrari’s car.
As per formu1a.uno, the Maranello outfit has decided to change the wheelbase in their 2025 F1 car. The most significant change would be their shifting to a pull-rod front suspension from a push-rod setup. This will facilitate an easier time for Hamilton, who, like Leclerc, prefers the pull-rod-induced downforce at the front. However, the Monegasque didn’t get this luxury in the ground-effect era with Ferrari continuing with the push-rod front, which Sainz preferred.
Interestingly, Ferrari’s push-rod front suspension setup dates back to 1989. After 36 years, they are returning to the pull-rod front suspension. This part cannot be viewed independently from the others. However, Vettel too preferred more downforce in the rear end, which the current push-rod front and pull-rod rear facilitated.
Here’s former Ferrari manager Peter Windsor analyzing Hamilton and Vettel’s car preferences: “I’m being slightly brutal about it, but that’s what Vettel does,” he said on his YouTube channel, referring to the 4-time champion’s somewhat abrupt mid-corner turning. “In that moment, that’s where Lewis comes into his own. Vettel definitely has the feel for extending the straights. What he doesn’t have, in my opinion, is the feel for how to rotate the car the way Lewis does mid-corner.”
Windsor also highlighted how the absence of downforce in the back end stifled Vettel at Red Bull. “That’s why he was getting destroyed by Daniel Ricciardo in that last year at Red Bull when they took the downforce out of the back of the car. Without that, Vettel was completely lost because that’s all he ever knew,” he added. Ferrari turning back the clock with such a big technical change shows their commitment to change for Hamilton. Though there is an entire half left in 2024, the morale at Ferrari has already skyrocketed.
Ferrari junior swoons over Lewis Hamilton’s “undeniable” talent
Being a 7-time champion of a sport naturally has its perks. But Lewis Hamilton isn’t just defined by his F1 achievements. His calm and welcoming demeanor off-track, dedication to changing society, and varied interests outside F1 – all contribute to his larger-than-life personality. Oliver Bearman, Ferrari’s reserve driver set to drive for Haas next year, is more than excited about Hamilton’s arrival.
“I think he’ll bring a lot of experience to the team,” he told Sky Sports, adding, ” [Lewis has] won seven world championships. That’s something that not many people can say. He’ll bring a good mentality to the team, a winning mentality, but of course, his talent is undeniable. He’s one of the best to have ever done it.” To give you a perspective, the Mercedes driver has been in F1 since Bearman was 2 years old.
Formula One F1 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – March 9, 2024 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s Oliver Bearman during the drivers parade ahead of the race REUTERS/Rula RouhanaNext year, the duo will line up on the same grid, with Hamilton still in his perpetual prime. Even Charles Leclerc idolized the 7-time champion and will fortuitously get to compete in the same machinery before he retires. As of now, Ferrari has indeed pulled off the unthinkable and we’re all for it. All twists in Hamilton’s journey point to him breaking the joint championship record he holds with Michael Schumacher. It might only be a matter of time before it all materializes.