Data Suggests Sir Lewis Hamilton Is at Home in Ferrari

Ferrari on track - Photo by Damian Hall

For the first time in recent years, Sir Lewis Hamilton might finally have a car that feels like home, at least, that’s what the data suggests. The seven-time world champion set his fastest lap of 1:29.379 on Day 2 of Bahrain testing, positioning himself just behind the overall fastest driver, Williams' Carlos Sainz.

However, more telling than the lap time itself was how Hamilton was driving the Ferrari SF-25. His braking data and cornering technique suggest he is far more at ease in this car than he was in the Mercedes of recent seasons.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok studied the available data and noted that Hamilton’s braking and cornering approach were noticeably different from his struggles at Mercedes.

"Yesterday, it just looked like the front of the car wasn’t quite there for Lewis," Chandhok remarked. "But today, watching his braking data and the way he was approaching corners, it looked like he had a car underneath him that he could turn and manipulate like he wants."

This newfound confidence contrasts with Hamilton's previous seasons, where he often had to adapt his driving style to suit the car's characteristics. The current testing data suggests that this season's Ferrari aligns more closely with Hamilton's natural driving preferences, allowing him to extract optimal performance without significant adjustments.

However, while these early signs are promising, it's essential to approach pre-season testing results with caution. Testing environments are controlled and teams often run varied programs that don't always reflect true competitive performance.

As the seven-time world champion himself emphasized, the focus remains on gathering data and understanding the car's behaviour under different conditions. He stated, "Our focus right now is on experimenting with different things, gathering as much data as possible and getting familiar with the car. It’s too early to really understand performance, but everything feels good."

Reflecting on the day’s running, he added, "It’s been another positive day for us in Bahrain. We’re making strong progress in understanding the SF-25 and learning how to get the most out of it, the reliability is good so far, which is a really positive sign.

We didn’t get to do as much running as we hoped because of the weather, but we have more time on track tomorrow to work through our programme and build even more comfort in the car. I’m really enjoying working with the team and we’re all looking forward to the final push tomorrow."

The true test will come with the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, where Hamilton and Ferrari will face the full grid under race conditions. Only then will the effectiveness of this new partnership be fully revealed.

2025 Pre-Season Testing - Bahrain (Day 2 Classification)

Fastest Lap: Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 1:29.348

1 Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 1:29.348 (127 laps)

2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 1:29.379 (+0.031) (45 laps)

3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:29.431 (+0.083) (83 laps)

4 George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:29.778 (+0.430) (71 laps)

5 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 1:29.784 (+0.436) (87 laps)

6 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 1:30.229 (+0.881) (57 laps)

7 Liam Lawson (Red Bull) - 1:30.252 (+0.904) (91 laps)

8 Jack Doohan (Alpine) - 1:30.368 (+1.020) (80 laps)

9 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 1:30.430 (+1.082) (40 laps)

10 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 1:30.675 (+1.327) (94 laps)

11 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1:30.700 (+1.352) (45 laps)

12 Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) - 1:30.793 (+1.445) (46 laps)

13 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:30.821 (+1.473) (44 laps)

14 Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:30.882 (+1.534) (77 laps)

15 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) - 1:31.057 (+1.709) (80 laps)

16 Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) - 1:31.457 (+2.109) (56 laps)

17 Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 1:33.071 (+3.723) (69 laps)

18 Oliver Bearman (Haas) - 1:34.372 (+5.024) (66 laps)

Data suggests Sir Lewis Hamilton Is at Home in Ferrari by Damian Hall