Ferrari are going to extreme lengths to accelerate Lewis Hamilton's transition from Mercedes, and are even trying to 'erase' the F1 star's memory.
Hamilton made his first public appearance for Ferrari on Monday after joining the team in 2025 after 11 years at Mercedes.
The 40-year-old's time at Mercedes saw him with six of his seven world championships, and become the only driver in the sport's history to reach 100 pole positions and 100 race wins.
Hamilton's first week at Maranello has seen him take to the track for the first time for the Scuderia at the Fiorano test circuit on Wednesday, as well as begin work on the team's simulator.
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A Formula 1 team's simulator is one of the most important cogs in a team's development, and are going above and beyond to get Hamilton up to speed as quickly as possible.
Ferrari's Hamilton simulator plan
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari are attempting to 'erase Hamilton's memory' of the Mercedes simulator by ‘deliberately’ tweaking intricate details of their own simulator.
The report states that the suspension calibrations, engine maps, and load level have been made 'very far apart' in a bid to completely wipe Hamilton's ‘sensory memory’ of the Mercedes simulator.
The Scuderia's sim is said to be more advanced than the one Hamilton will have been using at Mercedes, therefore, getting a head start before the season will be pivotal to Hamilton's adaptation.
The Italian outlet also revealed Hamilton has been driving the 2024 car on the simulator, but a version of Ferrari’s 2025 chassis – codenamed Project 677, is also ready allowing the Brit to make a direct comparison.
Ferrari have also been holding detailed feedback sessions with Hamilton after each session, in order to prepare specific setup preferences ahead of his first race for the team in March.
During Hamilton's first day at Maranello, the 40-year-old released his first official statement via the Ferrari website.
"There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver, is one of those days," Hamilton began.
"I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today.
"I’m incredibly grateful to John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, Fred Vasseur, and everyone at Ferrari for their trust in me and making me part of this family."
Tom Jenkins