Lewis Hamilton ‘excited’ as Ferrari SF-25 declaration made at Las Vegas GP

Positivity is an emotion which Lewis Hamilton has struggled to find at times in his first Ferrari season, but he is embracing it at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With the opening day of practice in the books, Hamilton revealed that he is “happy” with where his Ferrari SF-25 is at, and so has decided that very little change is needed heading into qualifying day, Hamilton confirming that he is “excited” for what is to come.

Lewis Hamilton ‘happy’ with Ferrari SF-25 at Las Vegas GP

It has been a challenging F1 2025 for Hamilton, his first year in Ferrari red, but the vibe is one of optimism in the Hamilton camp after Thursday practice in Las Vegas.

While Hamilton may have ended the day just inside the top 10, it was a disrupted FP2 session due to drain cover concerns at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. The second and final red flag stoppage with two minutes left on the clock, prevented several drivers from completing their last flying lap.

But, Hamilton still found himself with enough to take away from the day to be “excited” for Friday.

“It felt pretty decent, yeah,” he reflected after FP2.

“P1 generally felt good. I just didn’t get a lap in. And then same thing in P2.

“We improved the car in P2 and I was feeling strong in Sector 1, same as I was in P1. But yellow flags and the red flags just got in the way, unfortunately, but everyone’s in the same boat.

“But I got some good learnings out there, and I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Hamilton has not always gelled with the SF-25, having made reference to an “alien” driving style earlier in the season.

But, the seven-time world champion has been at a similar performance level to teammate Charles Leclerc since returning from the summer break, and has reason for optimism in Las Vegas as he is “happy with the car” after two practice sessions.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc head-to-head in F1 2025

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

“It was very slippery,” Hamilton said of the conditions in the first practice session. “Very, very slippery.

“But the track ramped up quite quick. And hope it’s dry tomorrow, we’ll see. Obviously, very, very cold.

“We probably won’t make many changes tonight, because I’m happy with the car.”

Hamilton goes into the Las Vegas GP sitting sixth in the standings, a position and 66 points behind Leclerc, as the Scuderia bid to avoid a winless season with three rounds, including Las Vegas, to go.

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