While Lewis Hamilton debuts at Fiorano circuit, Esteban Ocon visits Ferrari factory in Maranello
Yesterday at 03:10 PM
Before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, one of the biggest stories has been Lewis Hamilton taking his first laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the Fiorano Circuit.
On a foggy Wednesday, around 3,000 fans gathered at the legendary Ferrari test track to catch a glimpse of the British driver as he completed 30 laps in the SF-23. Hamilton is set to continue testing privately later this month in preparation for the new season, while Ferrari has announced that it will unveil its 2025 car on February 19th.
In an interesting twist, it was reported by Motorsport.nl that Esteban Ocon, a Haas driver, was also present at the Ferrari factory in Maranello on the same day as Lewis Hamilton. Esteban Ocon was there to carry out duties in Ferrari’s simulator as part of preparations for the winter testing and the upcoming Formula 1 season.
Haas, which has been in partnership with Ferrari since joining the grid in 2016, shares technical resources, including key components such as gearboxes and suspension parts. This collaboration allows Haas to leverage Ferrari's engineering expertise, although the partnership has been limited since the introduction of the cost cap in 2021, which curbed the sharing of wind tunnel time and engineers' input to prevent teams from offsetting costs.
Esteban Ocon's visit to Maranello on the same day as Lewis Hamilton's testing session involved working in Ferrari's simulator to prepare for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign. Haas currently lacks its own simulator, but this may soon change due to a growing collaboration with Toyota.
Additionally, Haas made headlines in January by participating in its first-ever “Testing of Previous Cars” session. This allowed Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, and Ritomo Miyata to complete laps in a 2023-spec car at the Jerez Circuit, helping them fine-tune their skills ahead of the new season. Haas is also scheduled to test its 2025 car at Silverstone on February 16th, with Ocon set to be prioritized over Bearman for this session.
For 2025, Esteban Ocon will be working with Laura Mueller, who will make history as the first female F1 race engineer. This marks part of a broader restructuring within the Haas race team as they prepare for the challenges ahead in the new season.
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