After his first laps with the Ferrari 2025, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton expressed his joy at discovering an environment even more passionate than he had imagined.
Lewis Hamilton is going to great lengths to acclimate to his new team. In addition to learning Italian, he admitted to eating “three pizzas last week”, a diet he realizes he needs to manage for his athletic physique. But the 40-year-old Briton is in his discovery phase with Ferrari, after twelve years at Mercedes, so he’s open to many things. After driving the 2025 single-seater for the first time on Wednesday afternoon at Fiorano, the seven-time world champion participated in an online press conference where he shared some details of his new life as a driver. The message was clear: he’s already enjoying it.
“Since your arrival at Ferrari, have you discovered things that you didn’t expect or that surprised you?”
I didn’t arrive with expectations but with a very open mind. Of course, over the years, I’ve seen Ferrari from the outside, the way the drivers were welcomed by the fans, and I was told there would be a lot of passion around the team. But when you find yourself inside, it’s even more special than you could imagine. You can’t know it until you experience it. And it’s really beautiful to see.
“What can you really achieve this season?”
It’s far too early to know how the year will unfold. What we do know is that the leading teams will be very close to each other. We have a tremendous amount of work to do. I’m still getting used to a brand new car, a whole new way of working. But everyone is here to make me feel welcome and I must say I really feel at home. I know I’m exactly where I need to be. It’s natural.
“No one is going to say we’re perfect in every way, but rather that we need to be better everywhere.”
Based on what you’ve seen, is Ferrari ready to win the World Championship?
Yes. I’ve already worked with two world champion teams (McLaren and Mercedes). I know what a winning team looks like. And here, absolutely all the necessary ingredients to win a World Championship are present. There are also good leaders, who have a calm approach. No one is going to say we’re perfect in every way, but rather that we need to be better everywhere, that we need to explore everything to get there. It’s simply a matter of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
If you win the title this season, do you think you’ll retire or continue for several more years?
If I’m lucky enough to win another title, which is obviously our goal, I don’t see myself stopping.
“I don’t feel like I need to change my driving style too much.”
What does the idea of winning an eighth world championship title mean to you? Is it an obsession?
For me, it would be the first. The first Championship for Ferrari. I’m working towards that. I’m not thinking about the number eight. Even though the team has already won numerous titles in its history, I’m thinking about the first one it would win in a while.
What differences do you find between the Mercedes and the Ferrari?
It’s completely different, I didn’t expect that. When I moved from McLaren to Mercedes (in 2013), there were similarities, the car was already powered by a Mercedes engine. The sound, the vibrations were therefore the same. Here, it goes further. The whole package is completely different. It’s a really exciting experience. I have to try to understand that, particularly the settings and the terminology used. But I don’t feel like I need to change my driving style too much. In fact, I feel very comfortable in the car and I’m just going to take it step by step.
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