Lewis Hamilton hasn’t joined Ferrari to be their showstopper. The Briton wants to rack up wins and win the coveted F1 world title once again, for which he is already hard at work to be at his best when the season begins next month. To enhance his preparations, Hamilton also reportedly got in touch with Sebastian Vettel to take a leaf out of his book.
Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 and drove for the Maranello-based outfit for six seasons. Although he didn’t add to his four World Championships with the Prancing Horse, Vettel is fully aware of the workings at Ferrari. On top of that, the duo’s excellent relationship in recent years could have also pushed Hamilton to contact him.
The reports also stated that Hamilton contacted Vettel, and decided to follow in the German’s footsteps by making notes in a notebook.
However, an older video of the seven-time World Champion, wherein he talks about this particular habit, completely contradicted those claims.
In 2018, Hamilton appeared for an interview where he spoke about how he has always taken notes to make himself more familiar with the cars he has driven. This wasn’t just in F1, but also the other junior series, which he admitted himself.
“And all the test days I was just making notes, making notes, making notes, making notes. I did that already when I was in Formula 3…” the Stevenage-born driver said. “When I got to Formula 1 and I had a problem with the way the car was feeling, I could revert back to my notes.”
@/Planet_F1 just did an article implying that lewis hamilton is following in the footsteps of sebastian vettel by taking notes / keeping a notebook at ferrari….
LOL DO YOU KNOW SIR LEWIS HAMILTON ??
“And all the test days I was just making notes, making notes, making notes,… pic.twitter.com/i5irz2SJL1
— sim (@sim3744) February 4, 2025
Fair to say that Hamilton used to take notes long before the recent rumors of him emulating Vettel flooded the internet.
Is Hamilton’s practice uncommon?
In short, no. Drivers love to take notes, even more so if they come from an older generation.
Hamilton and Vettel would follow this practice because it allowed them be keep track of what they were learning, and they could use them to get over their weaknesses and get better. “I now take some digital notes with an iPad, but I prefer just pen and paper. When you write with a pen, it’s like writing it in your head, you remember it,” Vettel said in a 2017 interview.
Plus, it’s not just drivers who take notes. Famous engineers do the same.
Legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey has a trademark red notebook he carries around with him everywhere he goes. It’s sometimes regarded as the secret behind Newey’s unmatched genius, with the 66-year-old also revealing his unique approach to writing things down.
He stated that he draws pictures of birds, insects, and even sharks to study their efficiency and get inspired by nature. “So I think I do always try to keep my eyes open. I think curiosity is such a valuable thing. You know I’m well known for looking around on the grid,” the Briton said.
