Ferrari Shrug Off Hamilton’s Early Pace Gap To Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton’s rolling into Bahrain testing this week trailing teammate Charles Leclerc by a hefty eight-tenths, if the early Ferrari shakedown numbers are correct. Spanish paper Marca and Italy’s La Repubblica report Leclerc clocked a blistering 56.06 seconds around Fiorano in the SF-25—second only to Michael Schumacher’s 2004 benchmark—while Hamilton lagged in unofficial stopwatches. New tech boss Loic Serra’s unfazed, and the seven-time champ’s still finding his feet. Ferrari’s betting on hunger over panic.

“It does not scare me,” Serra told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Lewis is an extraordinary driver who is always hungry for new challenges. I am sure that at Ferrari he will be as fast as in his best years at the top of Formula 1.” The Frenchman, fresh from Mercedes like Hamilton, sees no red flags in the 40-year-old’s acclimation curve. Eight tenths at Fiorano—a tight 1.8-mile loop—won’t haunt Maranello’s dreams just yet.

Hamilton’s honest about the grind. “Everything is different,” he said. “And it’s not often that any car suits you straight away. But I don’t think I’ll need to change my driving style. My style is quite similar to Charles’ and I’m already comfortable and gradually adapting.” Two decades on Mercedes power, one Fiorano test (30 laps, January 22), and Bahrain’s three-day shakedown starting February 26—he’s got work to do, but he’s not sweating it.

Leclerc’s unfussed by the spotlight shift. “There is always a lot of attention around Ferrari,” he told L’Equipe, “but it’s true that with Lewis’ arrival, it’s even more enormous. But it’s understandable – we’re talking about a legend of our sport. It hasn’t changed my approach. Yes, Lewis’ arrival makes things a bit crazy and pushes the media to follow us more than usual, but I have prepared as I always have, trying to improve each and every winter.” The 27-year-old Monegasque’s 56.06 lap screams pace—Hamilton’s shadow looms, but Leclerc’s keeping his head down.