Lewis Hamilton expresses mixed feelings about not participating with Ferrari during the Abu Dhabi test, which could complicate his start to the upcoming season. Despite this, he acknowledges that he never truly wanted his first drive with Ferrari to occur there.
The seven-time world champion is transitioning from Mercedes to Ferrari for the next season, having agreed to join the iconic Maranello team earlier this year.
In an attempt to ease his transition into the new team, Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, reached out to explore the possibility of Hamilton participating in a day of testing after the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. The post-season test is set to take place on the Tuesday following the race.
However, Hamilton’s existing commitments with Mercedes, which include a series of promotional farewell events in December, prevent his participation. One such event with sponsor Petronas is scheduled in Malaysia on the same day as the test, rendering him unavailable.
While missing out on the test denies Hamilton an early opportunity to adapt to Ferrari’s cockpit and gather initial impressions of the car, he admits that his enthusiasm for making his Ferrari debut at Yas Marina was limited.
Preference for a Low-Key Debut
Hamilton prefers his first appearance in a Ferrari to be more subdued and away from media attention, in a less public setting.
Discussing the decision not to participate in the Abu Dhabi test, Hamilton commented:
“Look, I know Fred wanted it to happen. For me, I was in two minds. Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first rollout next year.”
Hamilton also noted that:
“When I did raise it, obviously with Toto [Wolff], they had all these plans that I’ve got to go and see some of the sponsors and say their farewells. So I don’t think it was ever going to actually be allowed, even if I had asked to have done it, because I’m contracted to the team until December 31st and that’s totally fine. But it doesn’t bother me again because I wasn’t going to do the test.”
He further explained:
“It’s not what I wanted to do. I told Fred that’s not what I wanted to do. Am I missing out on something? For sure. It definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder, but we’ll do our best to recover.”
Future Testing Plans
As reported by Autosport, Ferrari plans to give Hamilton his initial run in a previous car model—either the 2022 or 2023 version. This event will likely occur at Fiorano in January, preceding the first pre-season test in Bahrain, slated for February.
Vasseur is confident that a couple of days in an older Ferrari, combined with mileage gained during testing in Bahrain, will sufficiently prepare Hamilton. He commented:
“I’m not sure that he needs tons of hours of acclimatisation, he is experienced enough to be quick on the first day, or at least very soon. We’ll have one or two TPC days, plus the test in Bahrain, and that will be enough.”
Implications for 2024
The timing and conditions of Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari could influence both his and the team’s performance as they prepare for the 2024 season. While the absence from Abu Dhabi testing might pose challenges, Hamilton’s extensive experience is expected to facilitate a rapid acclimatisation to Ferrari’s setup.
