Lewis Hamilton braced for unprecedented challenge at Ferrari unlike anything in his F1 career
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Lewis Hamilton Embarks on New Ferrari Era but Faces a Unique and Demanding Challenge
Lewis Hamilton has officially begun a fresh chapter in his Formula 1 career with Ferrari, but former driver and Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson insists that a significant and demanding challenge awaits him at Maranello.
The seven-time world champion has left Mercedes behind in pursuit of an elusive eighth title, a feat that would see him surpass Michael Schumacher's legendary tally. While Schumacher's dominance with Ferrari cemented his status as an F1 icon, the British driver now hopes to carve out his own historic legacy in red.
By replacing Carlos Sainz, who has signed with Williams to remain on the grid, Hamilton becomes the 12th British driver to race for Ferrari. This marks just the third team change in his illustrious 18-season career, having started with McLaren in 2007 before moving to Mercedes in 2013, where he built an era of dominance.
Lewis Hamilton Faces a Steep Learning Curve Adapting to Ferrari's Power Unit
For the first time in his career, Lewis Hamilton will compete with a Ferrari engine under his right foot. Having spent nearly two decades racing with Mercedes power, the 40-year-old now faces an entirely new mechanical challenge that could define his debut season with the Scuderia.
Anthony Davidson believes that transitioning from a Mercedes to a Ferrari power unit will be one of Hamilton's toughest adjustments. The characteristics of Ferrari's engine—particularly its hybrid energy deployment, throttle response, and overall drivability—are vastly different from what Lewis Hamilton has mastered throughout his career.
Despite holding the all-time records for Grand Prix victories (105), podium finishes (202), and pole positions (104), Hamilton cannot rely on past experience alone to conquer this shift. Davidson suggests that Hamilton may need to take inspiration from Fernando Alonso, a driver renowned for his adaptability across different teams and power units, if he wants to maximize Ferrari's potential and thrive in his first season in red.
Anthony Davidson told RacingNews365 that he believed even Lewis Hamilton himself was eager to see how long it would take to adapt to Ferrari’s power unit. Having spent his entire career with Mercedes engines, Hamilton was facing a significant challenge.
The Sky Sports pundit emphasized that, regardless of a driver’s talent, adjusting to a new power unit was never easy. However, he pointed to Fernando Alonso as an example of someone who had successfully adapted to multiple different power units throughout his career. Given Lewis Hamilton's experience and skill set, Davidson suggested that making the transition was certainly possible.
Before joining Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton had only ever driven Mercedes V8 and V6 engines in Formula 1.
In contrast, Fernando Alonso has experienced a vast array of power units since making his debut with Minardi in 2001. The 43-year-old, the only driver on the 2025 grid older than Hamilton, has raced with engines from Cosworth, Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Honda. His extensive résumé includes Cosworth and Renault V10s, Renault, Mercedes, and Ferrari V8s, as well as Ferrari, Honda, Renault, and Mercedes V6s.
The British driver, however, has exclusively relied on Mercedes-built engines throughout his career and now faces the challenge of adapting to Ferrari's power unit. His first taste of Ferrari machinery came at Fiorano, where more than 1,000 fans gathered to witness his debut run in a 2023-spec car. He then took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a more intensive test, giving him a chance to push the limits as Ferrari took full advantage of the private session.
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