In only three days, Lewis Hamilton will slide behind the wheel for his first grand prix as a Ferrari driver. It’s a moment fans have been waiting for.
Both Ferrari and Hamilton have historically done well in Australia, though never together – until now.
Hamilton opened up about his adjustment to the iconic Italian team during pre-season testing day three, giving insight into the challenges he’s facing.
The transition hasn’t been simple. Hamilton couldn’t start working with Ferrari until January due to his Mercedes contract.
“I didn’t get to do the test at the end of the year, so for me, I started relatively late compared to others that have come before me,” Hamilton explained. “Like, [when] Sebastian [Vettel] was here, I think he started in November, so he had a good two months.”
That’s a significant head start Hamilton missed out on.
The seven-time world champion joined Ferrari for the same reason Vettel did years ago – the pursuit of another championship with the sport’s most storied team.
“For me, it’s been this month period that I’ve had, so a lot has been crammed in that time,” he said. “But personally, I’d like to just jump in the deep end and figure it out, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Hamilton’s approach seems to be working so far. Despite the compressed timeline, he appears to be settling in well.
He did manage to participate in Ferrari’s pre-season testing in Bahrain, where he kept a close eye on the competition.
“These guys out there look really, really quick, really competitive. It looks very, very close,” Hamilton observed.
The field appears tighter than ever this season.
“We won’t know, obviously, until next week exactly where we stand. But, we know that we’ve got work to do, and everyone has their heads down,” he concluded.
The Australian Grand Prix will provide the first real test of Ferrari’s potential with Hamilton at the wheel.
