Lewis Hamilton has revealed his immediate reaction to Fred Vasseur calling him about joining Ferrari – as anticipation builds towards his race debut with the team next week. The seven-time F1 world champion shocked the sporting world last year when he announced he would be leaving Mercedes – after 12 years and six world championships – at the end of the 2024 season.

With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)