Lewis Hamilton hit with ‘wrong pit box’ warning in Malaysia 2013 repeat

Whether Lewis Hamilton can take the fight to Charles Leclerc in his debut Ferrari campaign could come down to qualifying and getting the “simple stuff” right.

That’s according to former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins.

Engine, steering wheel, qualifying and the right pit box

Hamilton is gearing up for his first season as a Ferrari driver having signed a multi-year contract with the Maranello-based team 12 months ago.

Opting to walk away from Mercedes, Hamilton’s 12th and final season with the Silver Arrows team was a mixed one as while he broke his 945-day winless streak with a victory at the British Grand Prix before adding a second P1 at Spa, his lost the head-to-head battles against George Russe

But whether he can beat his new team-mate Leclerc at Ferrari will, according to Collins, depend in part on how he performs on a Saturday afternoon.

While highlighting the immense changes the 40-year-old will have to adapt to in his debut Ferrari campaign, from the engine to the steering wheel to the very culture at Ferrari, the Sky analyst believes the tipping point could be qualifying.

it’s going to be really interesting to watch,” Collins told the Red Flag podcast. “I think the challenge of Lewis stepping into a Ferrari shouldn’t be underestimated.

“He’s never driven a Ferrari engine, so really simple things like how the engine works, how the modes work, how the harvesting works, how the deployment works, they’re all different, right?

“We hear different terminology on the radio. Instinctively where he pushes the buttons is going to be different.

“So I think there’s going to be big differences in the car that’s going to be a challenge for Lewis.

“He’s going to enjoy it, embrace it. I think Lewis really embraces a challenge. I think he does his best work when he’s been pushed quite hard.

But again, it’s going to be this big shift in culture. Ferrari operate quite differently, it’s all different personnel, all different engineers.

“So can Lewis take the step in qualifying to make sure he’s there on race day to get the right decisions come his way?

“And he’s been part of this team, like Mercedes have totally worked around Lewis for such a long time and suddenly it’s not his team anymore. 

“I’m excited to see how that pans out. So, I wasn’t expecting it last year, but I’m excited to see how it pans out.”

And, of course, stopping in the correct pit box will also be key.

That’s a mistake that Hamilton made in 2013 when he joined Mercedes after six years with McLaren.

Pitting at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, he came to a halt in the McLaren pit box but soon realised his mistake and drove further along to the Mercedes team pit box.

“I don’t know how that happened,” Hamilton said after the race. “The teams look so similar. I have been stopping in that pit box for years.

“[It’s] an easy mistake and hopefully one I won’t make again.”

Speaking about Hamilton’s Ferrari preparations, Collins conceded that was an “instinctive reaction” that will take time to sort out.

“He’ll do loads of simulated runs,” he said. “He’s obviously running in Italy at the minute. But it is that like instinctive reaction to things that it’s gonna take time. It’s gonna take time to get through that. 

“You know, we’ve seen it in the past with simple stuff, we’ve seen people stop on the wrong pit box more than once. Lots of people have done it. So we just need to get past that.”