With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)

Lewis Hamilton has provided details about his “incredibly crucial” preparations for his debut F1 season with Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has been spending recent weeks adapting to his new team, a period in which he has embedded himself at Maranello and driven Ferrari’s 2023 and 2024 cars.

In comparison, Hamilton's former team-mate at Mercedes, George Russell, was spotted sporting an IWC Big Pilots Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert watch, which is worth a 'measly' £10,000 compared to Hamilton's luxury wristwear choice.