Oct.25 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will not get an early taste of life in a red cockpit at the end-of-season Abu Dhabi test.
Other drivers who are switching teams between 2024 and 2025, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and the man Hamilton is replacing at Ferrari – Carlos Sainz – have all received the go-ahead to test for their new teams after the season finale.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, however, 39-year-old Hamilton still has Mercedes duties after the final race of the year. One event is for team sponsor Petronas in Malaysia, and then he will take part in a farewell tour through Brackley, Brixworth and even Stuttgart.
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur, however, is not similarly holding Sainz so strictly to his contract through December 31, meaning he can test for Williams in Abu Dhabi.
“If I’m a nice person, they can have him,” the Frenchman smiled.
Ocon, too, has been approved by Alpine for an early test for Haas. Haas boss Ayao Komatsu is also releasing Nico Hulkenberg to Audi-owned Sauber.
“If you ask me, Nico can drive for Sauber (in Abu Dhabi),” said the Japanese. “There is no point in blocking him.”
Ferrari, though, will need to wait until 2025 before Hamilton is free for testing.
“Hamilton will be happy to see Ferrari’s result in Austin,” said former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos. “But Ferrari may be thinking ‘Why are we bringing in Hamilton if Sainz is doing so well?'”
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve agrees that the seven time title winner is not riding a wave of personal form at Mercedes at present.
“He really is not in a good place,” said the Canadian. “He needs to get out of this mindset before he goes to Ferrari.
“He is going to a better car and in that aspect he has to be happy,” Villeneuve added. “But generally, his demeanour indicates he doesn’t have the body language of a race winner. He is not the killer we have seen in the past.
“He needs to get back to his old form and attitude before he moves, because Ferrari is not an easy team to be in.”
Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes is the 18-year-old Toto Wolff protege Kimi Antonelli. Following his Friday crash on official practice debut at Monza, the young Italian is back at the wheel of Hamilton’s car on Friday in Mexico.
“In Monza, even if it was unfortunately in a somewhat brutal way, I learned a lot,” Antonelli told Sky Italia in Mexico.
“Here, the time I have available will be even more important. New track for me, dirty layout, and I will have to push more progressively this time.”