F1’s post-season test takes place today in Abu Dhabi, but 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton will be a notable absentee.

Several drivers including 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Carlos Sainz (Williams), 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Esteban Ocon (Haas) and168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) will ཧget the chance to make a head start on their preparations with their new teams in the en♊d-of-season test.

Hamilt🐲on won’t get that opportunity with Ferrari. But why not?

The seven-time ♍world champion, who capped off his final race with Mercedes with a superb fightback from 16th on the grid to finish fourth in Sunday’s F1 2024 finale, will complete a farewell tour with the Silver Arrows.

Complex contractual arrangements in Hamilton’s Mercedes deal - which does not expire until December 31 - ꧙plus the fact that Mercedes and Ferrari are big rivals, have prevented the 39-year-old from making an early cameo for the Prancing Hors✃e. 

One of these obligations will see Hamꦬilton make an appearance for Mercedes title sponsor Petronas on the same day as the Abu Dhabi test.

“We have contractual agreements with sponsors, we’re having a farewell for Lewis,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recen🃏tly confirmed.

“A lot of activities that are planned. Him anꦐd I, we spoke about it briefly, and he said ‘I guess that’s not going to work’, and I said ‘Yeah I don’t think it’s going to work’.

💧“I don’t think Fred [Va🥂sseur, Ferrari team principal] is particularly sad.”

Instead, Hami📖lton will need to wait until early next year before he makes his debut for F1’s mo𝐆st famous team.

Hamilton’s first run for the Scuderia is expected to be in a 2022 car at Feꦉrrari’s private Fiorano test track in early 🧸2025.

Hamilton ‘in two minds’ about Ferrari run

Hamilton, who has made his lack of enjoyment ofဣ testing well know🅺n, has admitted to having some mixed emotions about not getting an early run for Ferrari.

“I know Fred wanted it to happen. 🍃For me, I was in two minds,” he explained.

“Driving the red car for th💯e first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first rollout next year.

“When I did raise 𒁏it, obviously with Toto,  they had all these plans that I've got to go and see someඣ of the sponsors and say their farewells.

“So I don't think it was ever going to actually be allowed, even if I had asked to have done it, because I'm contracted to the tea𓆏m until December 31st and that's totally fine.

"But it doesn't 💜bother me, again, because I wasn't gꦛoing to do the test.”

Ha♊milton did concede tha💛t not doing the test will make his Ferrari transition that bit “harder”.

“It's not what I wanted to✱ do. I told Fred that's not what I wan▨ted to do,” he added.

“Am I missing out on something? For sure. It definitely delays the process and makes the start of t🐎he year harder, but we'll do our best to 🔯recover.”

However, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur downplay🌄ed the impact of Hamilton not ta🐼king part in the test.

“I'm not sure that he needs tons of hours of acclimatisation,” Vasseur told Motorsport.⛄com.

“He is experienc🐻ed enough to be quick on the first day, or at least very soon. We'll have one or two TPC days, plus the test in Bahrain, and that will be enough.”