Ferrari lost a ‘huge competitive advantage’ with Formula 1 rule change after Lewis Hamilton’s first title

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Lewis Hamilton wants to be the driver who ends Ferrari’s title drought. That would instantly make him a legend at Maranello.

The Scuderia are the most successful team in F1 but they haven’t won either championship since 2008. And while Hamilton is determined to avoid the fate of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, he’s played a major role in that barren spell.

Kimi Raikkonen defeated a rookie Hamilton, and his McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, by a single point in 2007. The rivalry between the two teams was intense.

12 months on, the Englishman’s last-corner overtake on Timo Glock in Sao Paulo finale denied Felipe Massa the title. And nearly a decade later, he twice prevailed in championship battles against Vettel.

Ferrari are still suffering from Formula 1’s in-season testing ban

Back in 2009, the FIA imposed a ban on in-season testing. This was a means of equalising the field – the top teams could afford to run their cars far more often – and reducing the sport’s carbon footprint.

Ferrari previously had a ‘huge competitive advantage’ because they own two circuits – Fiorano, which is on the doorstep of their Maranello factory, and Mugello. They could ‘constantly’ take to the track at a relatively limited expense.

According to FUnoAnalisiTecnica, Ferrari have ‘certainly been the hardest hit’ by the major rule change. They’re still dealing with the consequences 16 years on.

Ferrari’s ‘less successful’ cars have been ‘plagued by data correlation syndrome’. The Italian giants have recently invested in upgrades to their wind tunnel and simulation systems, but there’s often an imbalance between what they see in the virtual world and on track.

Michael Schumacher had a huge advantage over Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

In 2025, teams are allowed to carry out two filming days per season. While nominally commercial exercises, they are often used for sporting means.

Hamilton drove the SF-25 for the first time at Fiorano in January, effectively offering him a head start before pre-season testing. And more recently, both he and Leclerc trialled a major rear suspension upgrade at Mugello.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton was shocked by one issue he faced when he was using the Ferrari simulator

But back in the Michael Schumacher era at the start of the 21st century, there were no restrictions. One wonders how different Hamilton’s debut season might have looked in that kind of regulatory landscape.

Fred Vasseur says Hamilton can be too ‘extreme’ in reporting issues to his engineers. But in addition to gaining greater comfort in the car, regular testing would have helped him hone those relationships.

It’s the same for everyone, of course, and Hamilton has spent most of his career without this luxury. He also has an allocation of TPC outings in cars that are two or more years old, but these will be of limited use next year given the scale of the rules overhaul.