Early Rumours Suggest New Ferrari ‘Four Tenths’ Faster

A motivated Lewis Hamilton really could win a record eighth world championship in 2025 – his first season at Ferrari at the age of 40.

That’s the view of arch-rival Red Bull’s powerful advisor Dr Helmut Marko, as Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc got the all-new 2025 Ferrari up and running at Fiorano.

“It felt fine,” said Hamilton, with Leclerc also telling Sky Italia: “There were no negative surprises.”

Despite team boss Frederic Vasseur admitting the new red racer is an “evolution” rather than 99 per cent new as he suggested months ago, it is now the only car in the entire field with pullrod suspension at both the rear and the front.

“We reached a limit with the old concept,” admitted technical director Loic Serra. “To give ourselves more development options, we had to switch to pullrods.”

Hamilton watched Leclerc debut the ’25 Ferrari in the morning – but Leclerc did not return the favour later in the day. “I went to sleep because I came back from London at 4.30 in the morning, and at 7.30 I was already here for the first meeting.

“But I followed from a distance,” he smiled.

Hamilton said he is getting along with his new teammate very well so far, although he does expect there to be “arguments” as the season goes on.

“Charles is only 27 and he’s probably more mature than I was at that age,” the British driver said. “It will not be easy to beat him, especially as it’s already his home.”

However, when Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel arrived at Ferrari, they had almost instant success. “I didn’t realise that and it gives me even more respect for them,” Hamilton said.

“What I do know is that testing is more limited than ever – just three days plus the 200km filming day which is shared between us. Unfortunately I haven’t spent enough time in the car yet and I’m still acclimatising.

“I think it took me six months at Mercedes to get my first win. But I’m doing everything I can to be ready for the first race,” he added.

Early rumours suggest the new car – the SF-25 – is “around four tenths” faster than its predecessor in the simulator. “That’s a lot in a world where thousands count,” reported Corriere della Sera.

That is despite the fact that the nose and front wing are largely unchanged compared to 2024.

“If the rules are changing, it makes sense to combine this with a development of the wing,” Vasseur said, referring to the mid-season clampdown on front wing flexibility.

It is believed Serra – a new arrival from Mercedes – insisted upon the pullrod change to solve Ferrari’s problems with tyre wear.

Red Bull’s Marko thinks tyres will be key to how well Hamilton can do at Ferrari. “Hamilton has to get qualifying right, and it was never his strength,” he told Osterreich.

“If he loses two or three tenths to Leclerc, he always has to work his way up a few positions. That puts a strain on the tyres.”

Some think Hamilton is unlikely to succeed at Ferrari at his advancing age, and with a teammate as competitive and settled as Leclerc. “I would be cautious about saying that,” Marko noted.

“If Hamilton is motivated, he can continue where he left off in 2021. The comeback he delivered back then was impressive.”