Lewis Hamilton given assurances over Ferrari ‘atmosphere’ ahead of big F1

Lewis Hamilton given assurances over Ferrari ‘atmosphere’ ahead of big F1 2025 move

Giancarlo Fisichella has assured that Lewis Hamilton will feel “in the family” at Ferrari from the off, when he arrives at the team next season.

Formerly a Scuderia driver himself, Fisichella knows the unique feeling of representing the Prancing Horse in Formula 1, and believes Hamilton will receive a warm welcome when he arrives at Maranello next year.

Lewis Hamilton ‘needs to be very focused’ when arriving at Ferrari

The anticipation for next season is already high as the sport’s most successful team will link up with its most statistically successful driver in history, with Hamilton admitting he is fulfilling a childhood dream in becoming a Ferrari driver.

But Fisichella added that it will not be all plain sailing for the seven-time World Champion, who will face one of the sport’s brightest talents alongside him in Charles Leclerc – who has already long been bedded into the team since 2019.

While this could lead to a difficult introduction to the team for the Briton, Fisichella believes the welcoming atmosphere Hamilton will get at Maranello will override that pretty quickly – though he will need to spend time getting to know people within Ferrari’s base.

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“It’s going to be tough,” Fisichella told the Express, in collaboration with BetIdeas.com.

“They are two amazing drivers, two quick drivers, especially in the qualifying sessions. Charles is always on top, he has scored a lot of pole positions.

“Charles has [been integrated] into the team since a few years [ago], so for Lewis, it will be not easy to beat him.

“I think he needs to be very focused on it… [have] concentration… spend a lot of time in the factory, Maranello, with the mechanics.

“But it will be easy for Lewis to get into the team because the atmosphere in Ferrari is great and the people are so nice, so you feel straight away in the family.”

Ferrari have started the 2024 season seemingly above Mercedes in the competitive order, with Leclerc taking taken a fourth and third place to start the year.