Lewis Hamilton is finding his groove in Ferrari red as he tackles his first race weekend with the legendary Italian team in Australia.
Despite finishing behind teammate Charles Leclerc in both Friday practice sessions, the seven-time world champion remains upbeat about his prospects.
“It’s been a super exciting build-up to this week and it felt amazing to get out there and be in a Ferrari here,” Hamilton told Sky Sports, clearly still buzzing about his high-profile move.
The switch to Ferrari marks a massive change for Hamilton after years with Mercedes, and it shows in his driving.
“Honestly, the car felt so much different to what I’ve ever experienced coming to this track, so it took a little bit of bedding in through FP1,” he explained.
Adjusting to a new car is never easy, even for someone with Hamilton’s incredible experience. The Ferrari handles differently, responds differently, and requires a whole new approach compared to his old Mercedes.
But things are looking up.
Hamilton managed to clock the 5th fastest time in the second practice session, closing the gap to the leaders.
“FP2 was definitely a little better but just building. We’re slowly building and getting a little bit faster bit by bit,” he said.
The British driver actually seemed more comfortable with the Ferrari during winter testing in Bahrain, where he was able to extract better performance than he has so far in Australia.
Still, it’s early days in his Ferrari journey, and Hamilton’s optimism suggests he feels there’s plenty more speed to find as he continues to adapt to his new machinery.
