Lewis Hamilton has admitted that skipping Ferrari’s post-season Abu Dhabi test makes his transition to the team more challenging, though he insists it was never his preferred option to debut with the Maranello squad at the Yas Marina circuit.
Hamilton, who will join Ferrari for the 2024 season after leaving Mercedes, received an offer to take part in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, which takes place just days after the F1 season finale. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had hoped to secure Hamilton for a day of running to help the seven-time world champion get familiar with Ferrari’s car.
However, Mercedes had already planned a series of promotional farewell events for Hamilton, including a major Petronas event in Malaysia on the day of the test. As a result, Hamilton was unable to participate in the Abu Dhabi session, which would have given him the opportunity to test the Ferrari car ahead of next season.
Despite the missed opportunity, Hamilton acknowledged that he was never particularly enthusiastic about the idea of making his first appearance with Ferrari at such a high-profile event. He explained: “Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first rollout next year.”
Hamilton made it clear that he raised his concerns with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff but understood the logistical challenges. “I’m contracted to Mercedes until December 31st,” he noted. “It was never really going to happen, and that’s totally fine.”
Hamilton decided to forgo the Abu Dhabi test, which delays his acclimatization to Ferrari, but he remains confident about the process. “It definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder,” he admitted. “But we’ll do our best to recover.”
Ferrari has since confirmed plans for Hamilton to make his first run in a Ferrari at their Fiorano track in January, where he will drive either the 2022 or 2023 Ferrari car. The first official pre-season test will take place in Bahrain in February. Vasseur is confident that a few days in the previous-generation car, combined with the Bahrain test, will be enough to get Hamilton up to speed.
“I’m not sure he needs tons of hours of acclimatization,” Vasseur said. “He is experienced enough to be quick on the first day, or at least very soon. One or two days at Fiorano, plus the test in Bahrain, will be more than enough.”
Hamilton’s early absence from the Abu Dhabi test will undoubtedly make his integration into Ferrari a little more challenging, but with his vast experience, he remains focused on quickly adapting to his new team.
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