Lewis Hamilton explains why Ferrari experience ‘not at all what I expected’

Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari is more intense than he could ever have imagined after joining from Mercedes.

Still scarcely able to believe that he is actually a Ferrari driver, Hamilton was not prepared for the intensity he would find within the team, and was surprised by how impressive the crew at Maranello is.

Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari ‘not at all what I expected’

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Hamilton’s record-breaking Formula 1 achievements had all come about with a Mercedes association: winning his first World Championship in 2008 with the Mercedes-powered McLaren team, before securing six titles with the Mercedes works team, equalling Michael Schumacher’s benchmark of seven.

Most F1 wins, poles and podiums were among the outright records which Hamilton set as a Mercedes driver, but before the 2024 campaign got underway, he confirmed the impending closure of that alliance, activating a release clause in his contract to sign with Ferrari from F1 2025.

A little past halfway in his first season with Ferrari, Hamilton was asked by French publication RTBF whether his experiences thus far at Ferrari align with what he had envisaged.

“It’s not at all what I expected,” he confirmed.

“It’s more intense in so many areas. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think the team at the factory would be so impressive.

“I was expecting energy, but now… It’s even more intense than I imagined.

“There is a huge sense of pride within this team. During a shoot last week, I had a big smile on my face the whole time. I love being in red! I look at the patch and I’m like, ‘Wow!’ It’s Ferrari, I can’t believe it. I still have to pinch myself, I say to myself ‘I’m driving for Ferrari’. It’s phenomenal.”

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Hamilton added: “What touches me is to see how far Ferrari’s passion goes. In every country, the Prancing Horse has a place in people’s hearts. It’s truly unique.”

It has been a challenging start to Ferrari life for Hamilton, who is yet to score a podium finish with his new team, while Charles Leclerc on the other side of the garage has posted five top-three results.

Hamilton revealed at the Belgian Grand Prix that he has been adapting to a performance engineer change at Ferrari, hinting at a signing from former team Mercedes.

“It’s not easy to switch engineers within the middle of the season, but it’s someone that I’ve known for years who was actually on my previous team with me but not in that position,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, after the Belgian GP.

“So we’re getting used to each other and learning. Having to learn like, super, super quick and I think the changes that we had really caught both of us out, but I think we did a great job overnight, and we’ll just get stronger and stronger together.”

Hamilton rebounded from a torrid Friday and Saturday at Spa to finish seventh, working his way through the pack from a pit-lane start after qualifying sixteenth.

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