“What I’ve always said about Mercedes, is that is really is racing family. When you are at Mercedes, you’re a part of the family forever.” This was Lewis Hamilton reflecting on his time at a team where he’s won seven F1 driver’s championships. With just two races to go in the 2024 season, Hamilton will be donning the Red Ferrari firesuit from 2025 onwards. But it seems like someone has already made themselves at home before Hamilton could settle in.

It’s fair to say that Ferrari needs something fresh and while they will get a championship-pedigree driver in Hamilton, they are also now backed by Novak Djokovic. The tennis star made an appearance with the Ferrari team ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. His first assignment with the team was to get warmed up with the pit crew and he was seen participating in pre-race drills.

Well, the Ferrari team can use an extra hand or two given how chaotic their last few races have been. Although the results have been satisfactory, the team chemistry is something they need to work on. And this is where Djokovic certainly can lift the spirit inside the Ferrari camp.

Ferrari shared the video of the same via their Instagram account with a caption, “Just training our newest pit crew member 👊 @djokernole #QatarGP 🇶🇦 #F1.” Well, all of us knew that Lewis Hamilton was going to be a big deal for the 2025 season, but no one expected Djokovic to claim his spot in the Ferrari team before the 7-time champ.

However, this isn’t the first time Djokovic has linked up with F1 stars, specifically, Ferrari stars. During the 2024 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, some F1 drivers visited the event, and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was spotted with Djokovic. The two were filmed chatting as the Serbian asked the Spaniard how good his tennis skills were. Sainz said, “My backhand is terrible, my drive is okay, my volley sucks.” To this, Novak cheekily replied, “It’s in Spanish blood to have a better forehand,” nodding to his longtime rival, Rafael Nadal’s brilliant forehand.

As expected, fans could not get enough of Novak’s return amongst the Ferrari family and were even advocating for his spot on the team!

Fans were thrilled to see Novak Djokovic in Scuderia colors in Qatar

While this might be Djokovic’s first formal appearance with Ferrari, he is already linked with the team as an ambassador. He did catch up with Carlos Sainz during the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. The two seemed to enjoy each other’s company and had a friendly chat. But, of course, seeing the tennis star actively participating with Ferrari got the fans excited. “Of course novak is a ferrari fan 😁”

Carlos Sainz is taking the exit door while Lewis Hamilton is coming in for the 2025 season. However, given the opportunity, the fans would like to see Djokovic in a Ferrari race car. Not sure if the Serbian maestro will be able to repeat his court magic on the racetrack. “New member of the team, @djokernole 💪🏻”

Well, there’s no doubting the athleticism of the 24-time grand slam winner. He certainly could add value to somewhat sluggish pit crew teams at Ferrari. This was evident from the video itself; while the crew half-heartedly did their stretches, Djokovic had the perfect form and technique. Adding to this banter, another fan added, “I think he might just have what it takes 🤭”

Leclerc wasn’t able to grab the podium finish in Las Vegas, where his teammate Carlos Sainz got the better of him ignoring a team command in a switch-up when he exited the pits. This sequence left Leclerc fuming as he dished out a rant during the cool-down lap. “Yeah, I did my job. But being nice f—ks me all the f—king time. All the f—king time.” Well, this incident has got the fans convinced that their chances for a constructors championship are better with Sainz than Leclerc. And this sentiment was clear from this fan’s reaction to Djokovic’s arrival. “Only if you help Carlos will Ferrari take the constructors’ title!! favoring Leclerc, we will lose the title!”

There was real confusion regarding the pit calls during the Vegas race. “Box Carlos, Box” was the command Sainz received while nearing the pit lane. But at the very last moment, his radio buzzed again, “Stay out, stay out, stay out,” and he did follow his team’s command. Well, they wouldn’t want to repeat this chaotic moment again, but this fan just couldn’t let it go and used it as a bantering material. “So this is what they were doing when carlos went in for his pitstop.”

On a serious note, both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will have to work in tandem to get the better of McLaren in the constructors championship.