Hamilton continues Ferrari testing in Barcelona
Image caption: Lewis Hamilton returns to the pits with the Pyrenees in the background Article information
Lewis Hamilton continues his preparations for the F1 season by testing with his new Ferrari team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week.
The seven-time champion and teammate Charles Leclerc drove the 2023 F1 car in his home Spanish Grand Prix on Tuesday. Hamilton is building his experience with Ferrari following his initial acclimatisation run at their Fiorano test track in Italy last week.
The team are doing everything they can to ensure Hamilton is as prepared as possible for the new season after 12 years with Mercedes. Hamilton is developing a way of working with new race engineer Riccardo Adami as he learns Ferrari’s procedures and how the driver and team can best work together.
The 40-year-old driver took over from Leclerc, who drove the car in the morning session, at the wheel in the afternoon.
No further details have been released about the test, which is being held behind closed doors.
Ferrari are expected to run for three days in Spain, although they are limited as to how many laps the drivers can complete. The current racing engine has permitted the total number of tests of 1000 km (621 miles) of cars for the past few years. The 2023 car is the last car that can be used as part of the F1 test restriction. 
Image caption: Charles Leclerc and Hamilton will be teammates this season
Ferrari 2025 is due to be unveiled when Hamilton and Leclerc test at Fiorano on February 19th.
They will then head off to the official pre-season test in Bahrain from February 26th to 28th. Among other problems, Hamilton had to be familiar with the operation procedure of the Ferrari Engine, and used to only led the F1 Mercedes Power Unit.
The latest F1 engine is a 1.6 -liter turbo V6 hybrid with sophisticated energy recovery systems and complex control processes, many of which are operated by cockpit drivers. Although the many power and performance modes of the different engines are designed to perform similar functions, each manufacturer has its own software and operating procedures, and drivers need time to become familiar with them.
