Lewis Hamilton has made the transfer to Ferrari forward of the 2025 System 1 season, however he wasn’t the one high-profile departure from Mercedes to affix the Maranello crew as they enter the subsequent chapter of their F1 journey.
At 40 years previous, the British driver ended his lengthy and profitable run with Mercedes after dealing with two of his most troublesome seasons. For the primary time in his profession, the seven-time world champion didn’t win a Grand Prix in 2022 and 2023. His 2023 season ended along with his lowest ever factors end, in seventh place, a major downturn for a driver accustomed to being on the forefront of the championship battle. By the point he signed with Ferrari in February 2024, Lewis Hamilton was coming off his worst-ever F1 season, cementing his resolution to depart Mercedes after years of dominance that noticed him seize six of his seven titles.
Along with Lewis Hamilton’s arrival, Ferrari additionally made a strategic transfer by bringing Loic Serra, a key technical determine from Mercedes, on board. Serra, who had initially agreed to affix Ferrari as head of chassis efficiency, was later promoted to chassis technical director following the departure of Enrico Cardile, who joined Aston Martin. Equally, Jerome d’Ambrosio, one other former Mercedes staffer, took on the function of deputy crew principal at Ferrari below Fred Vasseur. Each Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio began their positions in October, signaling Ferrari’s intent to strengthen their technical crew forward of the 2025 System 1 marketing campaign.
Serra wasted no time in making his influence, significantly on the SF-25, specializing in optimizing how Ferrari’s automobile interacts with the Pirelli tyres for the upcoming season. In his early observations, Serra shortly seen key variations between Mercedes and Ferrari, highlighting the “expertise and motivation” of Ferrari’s employees. He was struck by the eagerness and drive throughout the crew and felt that Ferrari had the important parts wanted to proceed evolving and bettering. The French engineer expressed his pleasure about becoming a member of the Maranello crew, stating that he felt lucky to be a part of Ferrari’s bold System 1 mission.
Loic Serra defined that his function on the Italian aspect is an evolution of the place he held at Mercedes, though it differs in sure points. He talked about feeling lucky to be surrounded by extremely proficient and skilled people throughout all areas of the crew, noting that they supply him with important help. Reflecting on his preliminary months at Maranello, Serra noticed some variations, significantly now that he holds the place of technical director. He highlighted that what stands out at Ferrari is the expertise and motivation throughout the crew, which he believes are essential parts for steady enchancment.
Lewis Hamilton will undoubtedly be inspired by Loic Serra’s constructive impressions of Ferrari, particularly contemplating their profitable historical past collectively at Mercedes. Serra, who joined Mercedes in 2010, performed an important function in supporting Hamilton’s achievements throughout their time collectively. As a French mechanical engineering graduate, Serra’s technical experience considerably contributed to Hamilton’s success, having been a key determine within the crew’s engineering division.
Serra initially served as Mercedes’ chief automobile engineer from 2010 to 2013, later advancing to go of auto dynamics in 2013 and finally turning into efficiency director in 2018. His management and engineering abilities have been instrumental in Mercedes’ dominance in System 1 from 2014 to 2020, significantly after the introduction of the 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid energy models. Below Serra’s steering, Hamilton secured six world titles, along with his solely challenges coming from teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Max Verstappen from Crimson Bull in 2021.
Given his in depth expertise and the success he helped the British driver obtain at Mercedes, Loic Serra’s optimistic view of Ferrari’s potential will seemingly resonate with Hamilton. Having seen the Scuderia’s constructive indicators early on in his tenure, Hamilton will likely be keen to assist Ferrari leverage its sources successfully, with hopes of continuous his legacy in a brand new atmosphere at Maranello.
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