Ferrari

LEWIS HAMILTON did not get off to the best start for the 2024 Formula One season after his car ran over a loose drain.Hamilton, 39, announced this season would be his last with Mercedes after an 11-year spell with the team before he makes a sensational switch to Ferrari in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton got behind the wheel of his Mercedes F1 car for the first time this seasonCredit: Alamy
But Hamilton’s car appeared to sustain damage when it ran over a loose drain coverCredit: Sky Sports
The loose drain saw stewards wave off the morning sessionCredit: Rex
The seven-time world champion said he was committed to “delivering the best performance” he can to the team.
And the first on-track step towards that end came in Bahrain as F1 kickstarted it’s pre-season testing.
Hamilton was on track for the first time after skipping out on Wednesday’s testing sessions.
However, after only a few hours of testing the session was forced to come to a stop when the stewards noticed damage to a kerb on the circuit.
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This damage came as Hamilton’s future Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc dislodged a drain cover on the entry of turn 11.
Hamilton was the next racer to come along and ran over the drain cover, which saw it fly into the air.
Mercedes mechanics checked the underside of Hamilton’s W15 for damage following the collision.
Stewards promptly halted the morning session to assess the damage to the circuit before announcing it would not resume around 30 minutes later.
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The morning session saw Hamilton put up a best lap time of 1:33.225 with 39 laps completed.
The afternoon session will run until 4pm.
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Following the Wednesday test topped by Max Verstappen, Mercedes driver George Russell revealed the Mercedes car felt “nicer to drive” compared to last season.
He said: “It was great to drive the W15 for the first time in anger today. From hitting the ground, it felt like we had a good foundation to start from.
“We completed lots of laps and have plenty of data to go through tonight. We ended the day in a reasonably good spot, and we can build from here over the next two days.
“We will be focused on maximising mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car…
“We know that it’s not about the feeling, but the speed. Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance.
“We’re focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others.
“It was a positive first day and I’m looking forward to being back in the car on Friday.”
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Comparing directly to their 2023 machinery, Russell added: “Overall, the W15 does feel nicer to drive than last year’s car.”
The F1 season will get underway fully with the first race in Bahrain on March 2.

🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁  More

TOTO WOLFF is confident Lewis Hamilton’s defection to Ferrari will not harm their chances this season.The Mercedes boss was stunned to discover his driver was quitting his team to join the Italian outfit for next season.
Wolff admits Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari came as a shock – but he is fully focused on giving Hamilton a successful car ahead of the new seasonCredit: AP
Hamilton, 39, dropped the bombshell to Wolff over breakfast at the Austrian’s home in Oxford.
But now, having had time to contemplate the seven-time world champion’s departure, Wolff says it will not derail his team’s performances this season.
He said: “When the news broke, clearly it was a new situation. It’s something that we didn’t anticipate happening at that stage of the season and is a new dynamic and that’s clearly something we would have to work on.
“But having said that, we’ve been together, spent some time in the factory and been at various events and it’s absolutely fine on a human level.
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“In professional terms, we have a full season to go. We want to have the best competitive car and give both drivers the opportunity to get the best possible results.
“How great would it be to finish on a high with Lewis this year. We’ve had several wonderful times and 10 more months to go and we will give it our all.”
Speaking at pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the season-opener, Wolff reiterated that Mercedes are determined to take the fight to Red Bull having lost their constructors’ title to them last season.
He added: “The morale in the team and the dynamics we have this year over the winter has been great.
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“We spent a lot of time trying to look introspectively to see what we can do better.
“What we’ve seen is an organisation that is really buzzing and is keen to fight and develop a car that is quicker while sticking to our mindset and our values.
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“That is something we want to deliver this year. It is just a concentration of the moment and the next race is to come.” More

RED BULL chief Helmut Marko couldn’t resist a savage dig at Toto Wolff after Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes exit.Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world earlier this month when he announced he would be joining Ferrari for the 2025/26 season after triggering a ‘secret’ contract clause.
Helmut Marco took a dig at Toto Wolff’s statementCredit: AFP
Mercedes boss Wolff admitted he felt like he had been “punched in the nose” after the seven-time world champion dropped the bombshell over a breakfast meeting.
Especially given that Wolff had always asserted that an extension with Hamilton would be a “formality”.
And Austrian Marko couldn’t resist rubbing his rival’s nose in it.
An interviewer for Austrian outlet OE24 pointed out that “Wolff said not long ago that he was so close to Hamilton that no piece of paper would fit between the two.”

And Marko’s response was savage.
He joked: “But a Ferrari contract would!”
And Marko admitted he can’t wait to see what drama may unfold in the Mercedes garage this season – with Hamilton still signed up to drive for one more year.
He added: “The whole thing is excellent for sports, better than Netflix.”
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“Normally, in a situation like this, your mind is already more focused on the new team.
“The current team cannot let him take part in any serious innovations because he would of course take them with him.”
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On the future impact of the move, he added:
He added: “I see it as weakening Mercedes.
“Whether it strengthens Ferrari remains to be seen.
“Overall, this has an incredible impact, right down to the stock market prices.
“It’s great that something is happening.” More

MAX VERSTAPPEN has predicted Mercedes will ban Lewis Hamilton from “certain meetings” in the upcoming season.Hamilton has announced he will be leaving the Silver Arrows to join Ferrari in 2025.
Max Verstappen has said Lewis Hamilton will be left out of ‘certain meetings’ with MercedesCredit: Getty
Hamilton has announced he will leave the Silver Arrows to join Ferarri in 2025Credit: Rex
While the announcement came as a shock to the Formula One world both Hamilton and Toto Wolff insist it is business as usual this year.
The pair are focused on helping the team close the gap to Red Bull with both Hamilton and George Russell leading the fight.
But according to Verstappen things may be a little bit “awkward” at the German garage now that everyone knows Hamilton is off he will be left out at certain things.
He said: “For the rest of the year, I would say it’s a little bit awkward.
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“It’s not like they are suddenly enemies. He has achieved so many great things with them.
“They are still behind him, and for sure he has a great relationship with everyone, especially Toto.
“But he knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him: ‘Look, I know we’ve had all this success, but you can’t be part of certain meetings any more’.
“That is normal in F1. It’s probably a bit weird.
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“But you are professional enough to deal with that. And once he’s sitting in the car, they will of course go flat out for him.”
Usually, a driver does not announce a deal 12 months before their actual switch as teams want to keep talks out of the public eye.
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The time when more details are revealed about moves is during the F1 “silly season” in the summer break.
But Verstappen believed the only reason the British driver announced the deal so early was to stop the news from being “leaked”.
He continued: “It must have been leaked to announce something that big that early in the season.
“Him going to Ferrari is not really shocking. It’s not a surprise they were talking.
“I just think the announcement was a bit rushed.” More

FERRARI driver Charles Leclerc has shown off his musical talent playing piano by releasing four new tracks.The Formula One star is set to become teammates with Lewis Hamilton in 2025 – who recently announced he was leaving Mercedes.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has released an album showing his talent for playing pianoCredit: Reuters
Leclerc has produced four new tracks with French pianist Sofiane PamartCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc
Leclerc is set to become teammates with Lewis Hamilton in 2025Credit: AP
Leclerc has shared his artistic work over the winter break with long-term pal French pianist Sofiane Pamart.
The 26-year-old has taken his love of music and released an Extended Play consisting of four songs onto Spotify with Pamart.
The pair have called the EP ‘Dreamers’ featuring tracks called, ‘Focus’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Limitless’ and ‘The Dream Continues’.
In a post on his Instgram story, Leclerc announced the exciting news giving fans just a 12-hour warning to prepare for the Monegasque sweet, mellow tunes.
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Leclerc said: “I have enjoyed every second of this moment.
“During the off-season I got in a studio for two days together with Sofiane and we worked on four songs that will be released tonight at midnight.
“I’m soooo proud of the result. We’ll also be releasing vinyls that you can pre-order on the link below, for a limited time only.
“We’ll also release the piano scores of the songs. I hope you will love all of it.”
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In the past, the F1 ace has shared his piano-playing talent through popular tracks including ‘MON23’, ‘MIA23’ AND ‘AUS23’.
But the special feature is sure to envy his soon-to-be team-mate Lewis Hamilton who has also expressed his love for music.
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The seven-time world champion has even contemplated following his passion after he retires from the tracks after featuring in Christina Aguilera’s music video in 2018.
The Mercedes driver is set to leave the Silver Arrows at the end of the upcoming season to join Ferrari due to the expiration of his contract.
Leclerc shared he worked on the new music over the winter breakCredit: Instagram @charles_leclerc More

LEWIS HAMILTON has spoken about his decision to leave Mercedes after unveiling the team’s challenger for the 2024 season.Hamilton stunned F1 to announce that he was quitting Mercedes after 11 years to join Ferrari in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton has spoken out about his decision to leave MercedesCredit: Getty
Mrecedes have revealed their car for the 2024 seasonCredit: Instagram / @mercedesamgf1
The W15 is the team’s standard black and silver liveryCredit: Instagram / @mercedesamgf1
Toto Wolff (C) says Mercedes ‘have a mountain to climb.Credit: AFP
He broke the shock news to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff over breakfast at the Austrian’s home in Oxford last month.
Hamilton, 39, will now see out his contract with Mercedes and says he is still committed to helping them get back onto the top step of the podium.
Speaking at Silverstone ahead of the team’s shakedown with teammate George Russell, Hamilton said: ‘It’s obviously been emotional.
“It’s very surreal to be here. I came here in 2013, 11 years with the team, this is the start of my 12th.
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“The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were.
“We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us.
“It is such a privilege to work with people to see the work they’re doing over the winter.
“This is the most exciting part of the year. To know everything underneath the hood, that George and I will be able to experience on the track. It’s exciting.”
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Mercedes unveiled their challenger for 2024 on Wednesday, with Wolff admitting they “have a mountain to climb”.
Hamilton and Russell took part in a special filming day to give the W15 car its first on-track test run at Silverstone.
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It comes after the team won just one race in the previous two years, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has dominated the sport.
After designing two dud cars, Wolff is now hopeful that their latest creation will deliver them back to the top step of the podium.
He said: “We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport.
“But our ambition and determination are strong. Since charting this new course, development has progressed well.
“We had several items on our priority list for this car. We will soon see if we’ve made the step we’ve aimed for.
“As the saying goes: when it stings, it sticks. I believe the previous two years were necessary for us to readjust, recalibrate and reinvent ourselves in certain areas.
“That root-and-branch approach is never easy. But we’ve made progress and look forward to taking the next step with the W15. It won’t be a linear path, but when we stumble, we will get back up and keep climbing.”
The season kicks off in Bahrain in two-week’s time in what will be Hamilton’s last before he jumps ship to Ferrari.
Hamilton will join Ferrari from the 2025 seasonCredit: AP
Unlike their rivals who made their drivers all readily available, Mercedes opted for a digital-only launch, meaning Wolff and their drivers were unavailable for questions.
Consequently, their focus was only on the team’s recovery and ambitions for this season.
In an otherwise drab press release, Hamilton is quoted as saying: “The learnings of the past two years have helped us find our direction.
“It has enabled us to find our north star. It’s still going to be a work in progress, but we will face whatever challenges present themselves with our heads up, with open minds, and work through diligently.”
Russell is quoted saying: “We’ve learnt and grown as a team over the past two seasons.
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“It’s not been plain sailing, but I truly believe the journey we’ve been on will make us stronger in the long run.
“The whole team has been working incredibly hard and we hope to have made a step with the W15.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON’s move to Ferrari caught the team’s current driver – Carlos Sainz – by surprise.Hamilton stunned the sport last month when it was announced that he was quitting Mercedes to join F1’s most-famous team in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell move to Ferrari for 2025 took many by surpriseCredit: AFP
This includes Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who Hamilton will replaceCredit: Getty
The Brit, 39, activated a break clause in his Mercedes deal to allow him to join the Italian outfit at the expense of Sainz, who has been shown the door.
The Spaniard, who was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race last year, was quizzed about Hamilton’s arrival next season.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s Ferrari challenger, Sainz said: “I was a bit surprised, like everyone in the Formula One world.
“From my side you can understand I got to know the news a bit earlier than anyone else and I had some weeks to reflect and prepare and some weeks to also get ready for the car launch and the first race of the season.
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“That gave me a bit of time to digest it and to draw my own conclusions and to focus on the 2024 season.
“I have had a lot of messages of support which I would like to thank the F1 world for and friends back at home, who have been very supportive and very encouraging.”
Sainz, 29, will now spend this season looking for a seat for the 2025 campaign.
He added: “My next team, I don’t know yet and I have time to decide when that happens next. There are plenty of options out there.
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“I am approaching the most important three or four years of my career and I want to make sure that I am in the right place.
“I am going to listen to all the options so when I make the decision I have given myself enough time with enough information.”
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Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc who has a new long-term deal with Ferrari.
And the 26-year-old says he has welcomed the seven-time world champion into the team and – unlike Sainz – was not shocked by the move.
He added: “This kind of deal is not finalised overnight. It takes time and I was aware of those discussions before I signed my deal so it did not come as a surprise.
“Obviously, Lewis is an incredible driver, the most successful in history, with a lot of experience which he brings to the team which is a good thing.
“I have had discussions with Lewis especially when everything was announced and official. We texted each other.
“Lewis is a great champion with so much success.
“It is always interesting to have a new team-mate, because you learn different ways of driving and working, and even more so when my new team-mate is a seven-time world champion.”

🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁  More