Hamilton: 'I don't think about the 8th title. For me it's about the first with Ferrari'
F1
Getting up to speed at Ferrari is hard graft, admits Lewis Hamilton, but he obviously loves the challenge at a team he says can clinch the F1 championship: "I know what a winning team looks like," he says
Lewis Hamilton is clearly a very happy man at the moment. Last winter he took the most momentous decision of his career when he opted to sign for Ferrari, and he had a further year as a Mercedes driver during which to think about his future before the move became a reality.
That finally happened last month when he arrived at Maranello and had his first run around Fiorano in a car with a Prancing Horse on his steering wheel.
After a month of getting to know his new colleagues and processing what it all means he made his first public appearance in red at the F1 75 Live season launch on Tuesday, followed by the SF-25 shakedown and his first proper media activities on Wednesday.
It had been a busy couple of days, but despite getting what he claimed was only two hours of sleep between events, his beaming smile and upbeat demeanour said everything.
There really is no great mystery associated with his decision to change camps. Yes, he was frustrated after three years with difficult cars at Mercedes, and the contract he was offered by Toto Wolff had elements that didn’t appeal.
However in the end it came down to seeking a new challenge and a different environment, something that would give his career a reboot as he passed his 40th birthday and entered his 19th F1 season in 2025.
Hamilton behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2025 SF-25 at Fiorano
Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images
Commitment isn’t easy
Hamilton has barely paused for breath since his childhood karting days. Other world champions who have enjoyed long careers at the top, namely Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, all took a break from F1 before returning for a second stint at the top level.
Lewis in contrast has been flat out, and in an era during which the schedule has extended to 24 races. Only he really knows what it takes.
“It is a challenge,” he admits when Motor Sport asks him about that relentless schedule. “If it was easy, then no one would ever stop, and everyone would just keep going. And they probably wouldn’t do it as long.
“I don’t think about the number eight… I’m looking for that first one with the team”
“When I was much younger, I definitely didn’t think that in my 19th season or whatever it is, that I would be this excited. I never thought at this point in my career I would have so much excitement.
“So being at work, wanting to be at work early, wanting to put even extra levels of work into to achieving the dream. But here I am. It really is like a new life has been… I’ve just felt this new way of life and energy. I guess I received that from everyone here, from the fans, from the way people have reacted to me joining.
“And of course, you’ve got a few people that that will say a negative thing here and there, but it doesn’t touch what we’re doing, and what we’re working towards.”
That target is obviously an eighth world championship. It’s a sign of just how much of a reset he’s undergone that Lewis has a different take when asked for the umpteenth time about that off-quoted statistic – a viewpoint that reflects how much he already feels an integral part of a team that hasn’t won a title since 2007, which also happened to be his debut season for McLaren.
“So for me, it’s the first,” he says. “Winning a championship for Ferrari is the first, that’s what I’m working towards. I don’t think about the number eight. I’m thinking about the first championship that the team’s won for some time.
“They’ve already had many, many world championships obviously over their history. So for me, it’s like it’s looking for that first one with the team, and how can I contribute to that? How can I help them achieve that?”
A winning team? Hamilton and new team-mate Leclerc earlier this week
Ferrari
Asked if he thought that Ferrari really is ready to win, his answer is to the point.
“Yes. I worked with two world championship-winning teams before. I know what a winning team looks and feels like. The passion here is like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ve got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship. It’s just about putting those pieces together.
“And we’ve got a great leader in Fred [Vasseur] and then John [Elkann] and Benedetto [Vigna], and everyone just has a really calm and good approach. No one’s like, ‘We’re perfect in every single area.’ Everyone’s like, ‘We need to elevate everywhere.’ And they’re leaving no stone unturned to try and do that.”
‘There’s magic here’
Ferrari enjoyed a solid 2024 season and clearly had upward momentum. However the competition is strong, and Hamilton has to take on a stellar team-mate in Charles Leclerc. He is taking nothing for granted in terms of the chase for the title.
“I’m also aware that there’s a lot of drivers that never, ever get to win a world championship, first and foremost,” he says.
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“And I’ve been fortunate to work in two teams previously, worked with great organisations, and you’ve seen in the history of the sport, where you’ve got great teams and things don’t align, and they end up, some of them, not winning world championships.
“But this team already has an insane legacy, and they’re not short of however many world championships they’ve won. So I think in their DNA, they have that winning mentality.
“The competition is fierce, and we’ve had great results from other iconic teams, McLaren, Red Bull and obviously Mercedes. It’s going to be close at the top. But I’ve got a great team-mate.
“Everyone here dreams of winning with Ferrari”
“The energy that I’m seeing from the team is there’s magic here, and it’s going to still take a lot of hard work and grafting from absolutely everyone, and everyone’s putting that in already to achieve it.
“But it’s also about belief. Everyone here dreams of winning with Ferrari, every single person in this team.”
It’s not just about the people – Hamilton has been impressed by the tools that the team has at its disposal.
“What I have seen is just to have this team all under one roof, is quite a unique experience that I’ve not had before. To have a track outside the factory is quite incredible, to be able to roll out our car and put it on track in Fiorano, and also just to know about the history of this place as well, has been pretty incredible to see.
“We know we have a huge amount of work to do. I know that I have a huge amount of work to do. I’m still acclimatising. I’ve only been here a month, or just over a month, so I’m still acclimatising to a completely new car, completely new way of working.
“But everyone’s bent over backwards in this team to make me feel welcome, and I really feel at home. I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. It feels natural, it feels right.
“So I think I’ve just got to continue to put in the time and take it one step at a time as well. Everything doesn’t have to happen on one day. But of course we have a goal, we have a target where everyone’s rallying to get it.”
Integrating with the team is a work in progress for Hamilton
Ferrari
Ferrari winning is one thing, but which driver will have the upper hand? Heading into his seventh year with the team, and with the obvious advantage of having been part of the Maranello family for so long, Leclerc is in a very strong position. Hamilton is smart enough to recognise that.
“We’ve got a great relationship, and I’m just trying to observe how he works,” he says. “He’s very, very professional. He’s clearly well-loved within this team, and well-embedded in this team, and super comfortable.
“So he jumps in and he’s on it straight away. He’s very fast, and I’m completely aware of that. You’ve seen his qualifying laps he put in. He’s put great races together.
“I told him in Bahrain many years ago he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’s only 27, so he’s very mature for a 27-year-old, I think probably more mature than I was when I was 27. And it is not going to be easy to beat him naturally, especially in his home.
“But we’ll work together, and we’ll collaborate to make sure that car is moving and the team is moving forwards in the right way. And we’re going to have some great races, I hope.”
“Those guys did an amazing job,” he concedes. “And I have huge respect for those two drivers. And having joined teams before, the step it takes and the amount of work that goes on to acclimatising is extraordinary, and so it makes those results that they had even more exceptional than even I had appreciated before.
“So what I know is that the testing is more limited than ever before. I’ve had a good bit of time in the car. I am still acclimatising. It took me six months at Mercedes to get my first win. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready for race one.”
The car itself is one crucial element of that process: “I am definitely having to adapt my driving style. It’s rare that you just jump in and it just fits. For example, the steering wheel is completely different. All this switch settings are completely different. The software is different.
“I am adapting to a car that’s made quite differently to what I’ve worked with in the past. To achieve a similar sort of thing the feeling is a lot different.”
Hamilton, with Leclerc and team boss Fred Vasseur, is having to adapt his driving style
Ferrari
It’s remarkable that Hamilton spent his first 18 years in F1 with just two teams, and his relationship with McLaren went way back to his teenage karting days. As someone who puts great faith in personal relationships he knows it will take some time for him to really feel fully comfortable.
“It’s given me even more appreciation as I mentioned about Sebastian and Fernando joining here,” he says. “We’ve watched over the years drivers moving around, and some moving around a lot more than others.
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“I know how long it takes to build trust and grow within a team and grow with people, as I’ve experienced that with Mercedes, I experienced that with McLaren. And I really cherish the longevity that I had within those places and the bonds that we created in that time, and they don’t happen overnight. But this step is huge. It couldn’t be any bigger.
“The organisation is massive. The passion adds to it from the fans, from the people within, for that desire to want to win. And you don’t want to let people down. You want to be able to deliver on your work.
“How I decided to come into this year, and my resolution, my mentality, is I need to elevate in absolutely every area on my side. It’s not just, ‘This is who I am,’ and I’ve just got to gel in.
“I’ve got to elevate in every single area, my fitness, my time management, how I engage my engineers, how much time I spend in the factory, all these different things.
“And I’ve definitely done that, and I’m doing that, and I will continue to do that in this drive for perfection and to achieve the success that I’m aiming to achieve. But it is a lot of work I have to say. Also a whole new culture, different language, all the new brands that I’m going to work with. Every day I am experiencing something new, which actually is really exciting.
“And in the short space of time, it’s really not a long time, from the day you join the team to the first race. Maybe for you guys, you’re feeling it’s drawn out, but it’s not. It’s very short, and there’s no shortcut that you can take, and we’re not taking it. We’re just putting the work in, and we’re grafting.”
