Lewis Hamilton has started Formula One pre-season testing for Ferrari. The 40-year-old British driver announced last year was leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari after spending 11 years and winning six of his seven world titles with the Silver Arrows.

Lewis Hamilton will have a first impression of how his Ferrari rates against the rest when Formula One starts three days of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday with a new crop of cars and drivers.

Vasseur said Hamilton was the “perfect fit” for Ferrari right now, while Leclerc thought the Briton was joining at the ideal point as the team’s mentality is now stronger than ever, in part thanks to Vasseur’s leadership. No longer in a rebuild, the championship is a realistic goal for Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton is preparing for his maiden season with Ferrari after joining the Scuderia over the winter following a 12-year spell with Mercedes. But the 40-year-old has been warned by former F1 strategy engineer Bernie Collins that he will face plenty of challenges with the Italian team as their set-up will be different to what he is used to.

Lewis Hamilton began his highly anticipated Ferrari career in January, and ESPN goes inside his first days working for F1's famed Italian marque.

With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)

A former Formula 1 driver has accused Ferrari of prioritising Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc ahead of the upcoming season. Hamilton and Leclerc head into the 2025 season knowing that not only will they have to beat their rivals if they are to win the drivers' title - but they will also have to be quicker than their team-mate.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed his thoughts on the factors contributing to Ferrari's current performance and his personal journey since joining the team. After a s