Lewis Hamilton made his debut on Italian territory at Imola once his move to Ferrari was officially announced.
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he only knows two members of Ferrari’s race team ahead of his highly anticipated move to the Scuderia for the F1 2025 season – but does not see that as a major issue.
Hamilton took the F1 world by surprise earlier this year by announcing that he will join Ferrari on a multi-year deal from F1 2025, bringing an end to his long and successful association with Mercedes.
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Having joined McLaren in 2013, this marks only the second team switch in the illustrious career of the seven-time World Champion before he moved to Mercedes.
Hamilton has a well-established and fruitful connection with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. Vasseur, who was the head of ART Grand Prix in 2006, played a crucial role in Hamilton’s victorious GP2 (now F2) season.
One year ago, John Elkann, the chairman of Ferrari, reportedly reached out to Lewis Hamilton to discuss a potential move to Maranello. The British driver maintains a positive relationship with Elkann, further strengthening their connection.
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In February, it was disclosed by PlanetF1.com that Hamilton’s Mercedes contract includes a “no-poaching” clause. This clause prohibits him from having any direct association with Mercedes personnel transitioning to Ferrari.
Despite this, Ferrari made two significant signings from Mercedes earlier this month. Loic Serra was appointed as the head of chassis performance engineering, while Jerome d’Ambrosio became the deputy team principal, working closely with Vasseur. It is important to note that these decisions were not influenced by Hamilton’s move to the Scuderia.
During an interview with media outlets, including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher, at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last weekend, Hamilton acknowledged that he is acquainted with only two individuals from Ferrari’s current staff – Serra and Jock Clear. Clear, who previously worked as his performance engineer at Mercedes between 2013 and 2014. However, Hamilton expressed no concerns about his upcoming transition to Maranello.
He expressed, “Upon my arrival at Mercedes, I was unfamiliar with everyone, but I was completely content with that.”
Personally, I don’t believe that has a significant impact on me.
“I have had the opportunity to collaborate with Loic for numerous years, establishing a strong and productive working relationship.”
“And Jock, my primary number two engineer, is part of that team, making them the only two individuals I believe I know quite well, along with Fred.”
Although Clear had previously worked with Hamilton, he is known to have a strong bond with Charles Leclerc, the F1 2025 team-mate of the British driver. Clear has been Leclerc’s driver coach since his arrival at Ferrari in 2019.
In November of last year, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his connection with Elkann and Vassuer, shedding light on their bond. He mentioned that he had first met Elkann several years ago at a Google camp held in Italy, well before his decision to join Ferrari was made public.
During an interview with various media outlets, including PlanetF1.com, he disclosed, “I have a close acquaintance with John. We first crossed paths several years ago at the Google camp in Sicily, and since then, we have maintained a strong bond.”
I have been acquainted with Fred since 2005, and throughout our journey, we have fostered an exceptional bond. Our communication has been frequent, especially after his involvement in Formula 1.
After I departed from his team, the frequency of our conversations naturally decreased. Prior to my transition to Formula 1, we used to communicate frequently, but as I moved into this new realm, the level of interaction with the Formula 2 series reduced.
“However, ever since his return to F1, we have crossed paths, engaged in numerous conversations, and even shared travel experiences with Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss.”
He then stated, “That essentially concludes the matter.”
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