Lewis Hamilton test issue reported as Colapinto ‘always ready’ for Alpine – round-up

Lewis Hamilton has undertaken his first test as a Ferrari driver, but has more in the pipeline before the start of the season.
Happy Friday, everybody. If you missed any F1 news today, panic not – we have you covered with everything here on PlanetF1.com.
We won’t keep you any longer than necessary, so with additional reporting from Thomas Maher in conversation with Ayao Komatsu, let’s dive straight in.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton reportedly suffers pedal issue at Fiorano
A couple of days on from his first test for Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s first outing for the Scuderia is still the big story in town after taking in 30 laps of Fiorano, before Charles Leclerc took over for the afternoon.
Fog and rain hampered both Ferrari drivers’ running on the day, but a report from Italy claims that, after Hamilton was pictured locking up behind the wheel of the SF-23, the car’s pedals proved to be something of an issue on the day.
That’ll be what testing is for, however, especially for a new team – ironing out any problems before the season starts.
Read more: Lewis Hamilton Ferrari test issues come to light after close Fiorano shave
Franco Colapinto ‘always ready’ in case of Alpine step up
Franco Colapinto has joined Alpine as one of their reserve drivers this season, but should the opportunity arise, he said he will keep himself fit enough to be “always ready” to step up.
“My role within the team will be to help, to help with everything I can, to bring the team back to the top, to improve the car as much as possible and to help with everything I can,” he told Motorsport.com on his first day at the team’s Enstone factory.
“I will be very attentive to whatever happens and obviously always ready if I have to get in the car at some point. Doing all the testing, developing the new car, spending a lot of time in the simulator and obviously being ready for anything.”
Read more: Colapinto’s ‘always ready’ warning as Doohan speculation continues
Martin Brundle offers fresh Hamilton verdict after Ferrari arrival
Sky F1’s Martin Brundle believes that, while Hamilton’s very best days may be behind him, the current version of him will still be enough to win races and, potentially in the right car, another World Championship.
He told Sky Sports News:?“I think the speed is there. Do I think the best of Lewis Hamilton is ahead or behind him? I think it’s behind him.
“I think he’s lost an edge with age, as you do. Sometimes he gets in scuffles that he used to emerge out of, but he doesn’t now, or he’ll make a mistake in qualifying.
“But I think 96-97 per cent of Lewis Hamilton in a winning car is still good enough.”
Read more: Has Lewis Hamilton lost his edge? Martin Brundle says yes but…
Hamilton admits Ferrari move ‘total leap of faith’
Taking on a new challenge at this stage of his career is a big step for the seven-time World Champion, but he is remaining confident that it will work out.
“Ultimately, every new opportunity is a total leap of faith,” he said in an interview for LinkedIn’s ‘Get Hired’ newsletter. “None of us can predict the future so changing jobs, or in my case teams, is always going to come with some level of risk.
“But I believe there’s more of a risk in staying somewhere you’re comfortable and in getting complacent.
“Call it instinct or a gut feeling, but I knew that signing with Ferrari was the right move for me and that it would give me the challenge I needed.
“There are so many incredible people in the team that I can’t wait to work with, and I have total faith that we’ll achieve great things together.”
Read more: Lewis Hamilton offers fresh insight into ‘gut feeling’ Ferrari decision
Ferrari partnership a ‘win-win situation’ for Haas despite Toyota deal
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed the team would continue their use of Ferrari’s wind tunnel “for the foreseeable future”, despite linking up with Toyota on a technical basis.
He explained to media including PlanetF1.com: “To me, again, it’s a win-win situation, because us and Ferrari, of course, are fighting in the same championship.
“So whatever the specific issue you have on your wind tunnel specification hardware which is, let’s say, related to specifics of the regulation, like ground effects, for instance, in this generation. Ferrari is doing the research, they are addressing it, so we take the benefit without us doing the research.”
Read more: Why Haas Ferrari partnership remains a ‘win-win’ despite Toyota?change