Lewis Hamilton is continuing to adjust to life at Ferrari after joining the team during the winter break.
Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman has already noticed changes Hamilton has made to his Ferrari steering wheel since he arrived at the team.
Bearman, a Ferrari junior driver, has tested for the team several times over the past few years. At 19, he describes himself as a “nerd” when it comes to certain F1 details and noticed the adjustments to Hamilton’s steering wheel early in the seven-time champion’s time with Ferrari.
Before moving to Ferrari, Hamilton spent 12 seasons with Mercedes, and Bearman believes there is likely a lot of muscle memory from his previous car setup.
“Seeing how much he’s changed on the steering wheel, for example, is something that caught my attention,” Bearman told media, including RacingNews365.
“On his Mercedes wheel, the DRS button is in one place, but on the Ferrari, it’s neutral. So I think he moved a few things around to make it work better for him. It’s normal for drivers to personalise their steering wheel.
“Even I, when I joined Haas, had to adjust a few things compared to what I was used to. It’s important to make those changes. After 10 years in the same car, you definitely build up habits.”
Bearman denied he spotted the changes due to still being integrated into Ferrari’s system. Instead, he admitted to being a “nerd” about technical details.
“I was genuinely interested,” he said. “I knew he’d make a few changes to the steering wheel, as it happens every year. I was just curious about what changes he had made. It’s a bit of a nerdy thing for me.”
