Ferrari make key change to 2025 F1 car after Lewis Hamilton had 'the worst feeling'

Ferrari have made what could be a key change to their car design to help Lewis Hamilton drive more comfortably.

The seven-time champion enjoyed unprecedented success during his 12 years as a Mercedes driver. But in the final few seasons he was rarely able to show the best of his ability in cars that he did not enjoy driving.

And Ferrari do not want their new signing to continue to struggle in that way. One of Hamilton's biggest complaints in his final years with Mercedes was about his seating position in the car, and the Scuderia seems to have acted to avoid a similar problem.

Just as Mercedes tried to do in his final season there, Ferrari have made changes to the placement of the cockpit in its cars ahead of the 2025 campaign. In their machines, the driver is now sat around 2.5cm further away from the front axle.

As Hamilton explained in early 2023, sitting too close to the front of the car creates a feeling for the driver that is not at all helpful. "I don't know if people know, but we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers," said the Brit.

"Our cockpit is too close to the front. When you're driving, you feel like you're sitting on the front wheels, which is one of the worst feelings to feel when you're driving a car.

"What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. It makes it harder to predict compared to when you're further back and you're sitting closer, more centre. It's just something I really struggle with."

F1 teams are limited in terms of the length of the wheelbase that they are allowed to create for their cars. But it seems Ferrari have managed to find a way to put more distance between the cockpit and the front wheels of their newest creation by shaving the size of the gearbox casing.

It remains to be seen what impact, if any, it will have on Hamilton's performance. But having already driven the SF-25 in a brief shakedown test at Fiorano last week, the Brit raised a few eyebrows by declaring it felt very different to the cars he was used to at Mercedes.

He said: "It's nothing like the car that I had before over the last 10, 12, 17 years. It is unique in its own [way]. To feel the vibration of the Ferrari engine for the first time: Wow. That’s what I think ultimately put the biggest smile on my face."