According to Martin Brandle, Lewis Hamilton has only three races to settle in a new Ferrari car.
Seven World Champions will debut with his new team at the opening of the Australian Grand Prix season next month. Hamilton replaced Carlos Sainz with Charles Leclerc in Ferrari Grid after leaving Mercedes this year.
Hamilton and LeClerc are currently undergoing a new season’s private test. Ahead of the upcoming season, Brundle was asked whether Hamilton should be on the pace immediately at Ferrari.
He arrives with 105 race wins in his career, including at Silverstone and Spa in 2024. The presenter told Sky Sports: “He has to do it. He has to use his experience.
“At this level there are no excuses for anyone being a novice, but at maximum you can give them half a season to get it together.
“To be honest, Ferrari expects someone like Lewis to outperform the people and the car around him in two or three races. “Lewis Hamilton [can’t] be underestimated.”
Hamilton’s three-race test will cover the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix in March, as well as the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6.
The 40-year-old is then expected to be fit for the Bahrain Grand Prix a week later. “There are some serious issues. His team-mate Charles Leclerc has been there for seven years and knows exactly where the buttons are and who does what to make things happen,” Brundle added.
“Lewis will have to deal with that and the fact that Leclerc is incredibly fast.
“But I’m convinced that if Ferrari has a car that can win races and championships, Lewis should be able to win races and championships too.” »
Hamilton and Leclerc were both back at the wheel on Monday for Pirelli’s first day of tyre testing. After 87 circles, Hamilton recorded the best staff of 1:15.93 in Ferrari.
On the other hand, Leclerc has completed a total of 86 circles, and the highest time is 1: 16.06. Pre-season tests are scheduled for Bahrain from February 26 to 28 on the eve of the weekend during the first race in two weeks.
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