As official pre-season testing begins this week, Lewis Hamilton is reportedly entering with a noticeable pace deficit compared to teammate Charles Leclerc.
According to Marca of Spain and Italy's La Repubblica, Leclerc outpaced the seven-time world champion by eight tenths during initial tests of the 2025 car at the Fiorano circuit.
Unofficial timing data, as cited in the reports, pegged Leclerc's fastest lap at 56.06 seconds—the second quickest ever at Ferrari's own track, trailing only Michael Schumacher's record from 2004.
Yet Ferrari's new technical director, Loic Serra—who, like Hamilton, recently joined from Mercedes—remains unconcerned about the 40-year-old's early performance.
"It does not scare me," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Lewis is an extraordinary driver who is always hungry for new challenges," the French engineer added. "I am sure that at Ferrari he will be as fast as in his best years at the top of Formula 1."
Hamilton has been candid about adjusting to his new environment, having exclusively driven Mercedes-powered cars throughout his extensive F1 tenure.
"Everything is different," said the Briton. "And it's not often that any car suits you straight away. But I don't think I'll need to change my driving style.
"My style is quite similar to Charles' and I'm already comfortable and gradually adapting."
For Leclerc, the 27-year-old Monegasque, it's likely an odd sensation to potentially be the faster Ferrari driver at the outset of 2025, yet overshadowed by his globally renowned new teammate.
"There is always a lot of attention around Ferrari," he told L'Equipe, "but it's true that with Lewis' arrival, it's even more enormous. But it's understandable - we're talking about a legend of our sport.
"It hasn't changed my approach. Yes, Lewis' arrival makes things a bit crazy and pushes the media to follow us more than usual, but I have prepared as I always have, trying to improve each and every winter."
