D'Ambrosio: It's easier for me to build relationships with pilots.

      Last October, Jerome D'Ambrosio joined Ferrari, taking up the position of deputy team leader, as well as leading the Scuderia youth program.

      Since he and Lewis Hamilton were colleagues at Mercedes, where Jerome performed similar duties, replacing Toto Wolff in a number of aspects, it is logical to assume that the Belgian, formerly a Formula 1 and Formula E racer, then moved "to a managerial position", helps Lewis adapt to the Italian team. But Jerome believes that an important clarification should be made here.

      "Lewis doesn't need to be helped to build relationships with the team and get to know people," The Race quoted D'Ambrosio as saying. – He gets along well with everyone, and the team loved him from the very first day. I can probably be helpful in that regard.,  that I already know his surroundings. A racer does not join the team alone, he brings his own people, his managers, and I have already contacted them in a previous life.

      Therefore, I think it's easier for me to understand what their expectations are, and which issues need to be approached a little differently, because this team has a different environment, a different atmosphere."

      Jerome is a former racing driver, and this also helps him to some extent: "It's easier for me than many to understand what a racer is going through, how his relationship with the team develops, what happens when he drives a car, etc.

      But it's important to draw a line here, because Lewis and Charles Leclair are some of the best drivers ever in Formula 1, and they have nothing to learn from others in terms of driving.

      Personally, I want to avoid this trap: sometimes we hear from former racers: "In my day, things were like this, I acted like this." But this is absolutely not the case. The only aspect that might make any difference is the fact that it's easier for me to build relationships with our drivers."

      Jerome D'ambroisio will attend 18 races with Scuderia in 2025, starting with the Australian Grand Prix, but will not fly to China for the second stage of the season. On the one hand, plans may still change, on the other, he has quite a lot of important things to do at the team's base in Maranello.

      "My role is to help Frederick Wasser,– Jerome explained. – I will be at the first race, but we don't want to leave the base for too long, so we split up the duties, and at the beginning of the season I will work at Maranello. Of course, the exact number of races I will attend depends on how our 2026 project progresses, and towards the end of the first part of the season, when the road races end, we will decide how we will proceed."

      He also confirmed that his responsibilities include communicating with the press, and not just working with racers and engineers.: "I will help Fred with any issues where he needs support."