Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Formula 1
Ryan Smart
Lewis Hamilton has requested changes to his Ferrari SF-25 on the eve of Formula 1 pre-season testing for the 2025 season.
Ferrari unveiled their 2025 challenger at the F175 event in London last week.
Chief designer Loic Serra confirmed that the car is '99 per cent' different to what they took to the track with at the end of 2024, despite relatively strict regulations compared to the previous season.
Ferrari won five races in 2024 and will hope to make strides towards improving that tally when Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc take to the grid for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
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The team have already organised a public test session for both drivers at their Fiorano test track in Maranello, while there will also be work going on behind-the-scenes in the Scuderia's updated simulator.
Leclerc and Hamilton both have different driving styles and, as such, will require marginally different setups to get the best out of the car.
And as per AutoRacer, Hamilton has already requested several 'small modifications' to the car before testing gets underway.
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It is claimed that these are 'relatively minor details' which would not cause his car setup to be substantially different to that of Leclerc.
Formula 1 will hold three days of official pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain.
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The test begins on Wednesday and is divided into six timeslots - morning and afternoon for each day.
All 10 teams and 20 drivers will be present at the test and will alternate workloads, though teams do not have to field their first and second drivers in every session and can use test drivers if they wish.
Testing will start at 7am GMT every day and finish at 4pm, with entire coverage available to view on Sky Sports.
There will be a significant difference in testing this season. In previous seasons, teams would keep their cars in Sakhir - as the season opener would be at the same circuit.
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However, with Australia hosting the first race instead, teams will need to transport their cars and equipment once testing is finished, making mileage and data collection all the more important.