On the eve of his debut grand prix for the renowned Italian team, Lewis Hamilton claims he has nothing to show by switching to Ferrari.
As the statistically greatest driver of all time joins the most successful team in sports, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is one of the biggest in Formula 1 history.
Ferrari may be in title contenders as early as this year, having finished 2024 just 14 points behind constructors champion McLaren, even if his Mercedes defection was initially intended to achieve success with the new regulations for 2026.
It may bring Hamilton’s goal closer, but it also puts more pressure on the British player to adjust to his new environment fast.
The seven-time winner, however, told reporters at Albert Park that he had nothing to show in red and that the only pressure he experienced came from his own expectations.
He remarked, “I don’t feel the pressure.” “For me, there is no external pressure. The pressure comes from my goals and from myself.
“My purpose is not to prove anything to anyone. I don’t think I need to take any action. I’ve been here for a very long time and have done this repeatedly.
“I believe I have never joined this team and have never been made to feel any pressure because the strain I have placed on myself over the years has always been ten times greater than any other pressure that could be placed on me.
“I hold myself to a standard. I am aware of my contributions. I am confident in my ability to produce. I am aware that simply putting your head down and working away is what will be required to accomplish that.
However, Hamilton acknowledged that there was a significant learning curve.
Even McLaren was the German brand’s de facto works squad for a large portion of the 40-year-old’s tenure at Woking, having worked for the Mercedes works team for 12 years prior to leaving. All seven of his driver titles have been powered by Mercedes engines.
The cultural shift from Mercedes, located in the UK, to Ferrari in regional Italy has also received a lot of attention.
The British player isn’t backing down from the challenge, but he was aware of the challenges he would face this season.
“I don’t assume that it will be simple. It’s not,” he declared. “I have to start over.
“In reality, I’m just giving it my all.
“I’ve been at the factory four days a week. I’ve been giving absolutely everything to training to push my mind and my body further than I have before, trying to see if I can excel and just squeeze more juice out of this.
“I’m still learning this new car that’s quite a lot different to what I’ve driven for all my previous career in the sense of Mercedes power.
“Coming into Ferrari power, it’s something quite new — different vibration, different feel, different way of working.
“The whole team works completely differently. I was just sitting looking at the race trace from last year, and it’s upside down compared to the previous one.
“You’re looking at things from a different perspective, which makes it exciting and challenging.
“This is the most exciting period of my life, and so I’m really just enjoying it. I’m so excited to get in the car tomorrow.”
He estimated he would need months, not weeks, to bring himself to full competitiveness.
“Inevitably there is a transition period and there is a foundation that’s needed to be built,” he explained. “The first half of the season really is that foundation building — those relationships, the trust you’re building with absolutely every single person within the team that you get to work in.
“Whilst respect is given, trust is something that’s built over time.”
It left Hamilton, a two-time winner at Albert Park, unwilling to set a target for himself this weekend.
“I definitely hope to be in the top 10!” he laughed. “I don’t have expectations. I think I just ultimately want to come away knowing that I’ve given absolutely everything and I’ve excelled in the way that I know I can and that I felt comfortable in the car — just one foot in front of the other.
“I don’t know what that means in results, but of course we won’t know until tomorrow whereabouts we truly stand within the top teams.
“I’m hoping that we’re able to compete for the top five, so somewhere in that space.
“I come with a very open mind coming in this weekend. It is about getting into a season, it’s about getting into a good rhythm.
“I’m just itching to get going. It’s been a long time coming, and to think that this is going to be my first grand prix … I feel very honoured and very grateful to have the opportunity.
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