Lewis Hamilton declares he feels like a rookie ahead of Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton insisted that he was feeling like he was back in 2007 as he prepares for his first race as a Ferrari driver.

Lewis Hamilton declares he feels like a rookie ahead of Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton (via GPBlog)

Lewis Hamilton made a bold decision last season. The seven-time world champion announced his switch to Ferrari for 2025 after spending over a decade at Mercedes. Now, the British driver has reckoned that he feels like he is in his rookie season as he prepares for his Grand Prix debut for the Prancing Horse.

Hamilton has been highly motivated since he arrived to Maranello in January. The 40-year-old has already set his sights on bringing glory back to the Italian team during his stint. Now, the British driver expressed his feelings as he entered the paddock in red for the first time.

YouTube video

The seven-time world champion claimed that when he entered Albert Park on Thursday, he was reminded of his first F1 season in 2007, back when he was a McLaren driver. Lewis Hamilton claimed that since then he had always walked past the Ferrari garage, and now, he was finally a Ferrari driver. The F1 star asserted that this was a great feeling.

FS Video

I think this is very reminiscent probably of my first year. All those years I’ve walked down the paddock seeing the red garage and now I’m actually in the red garage. It’s a really nice feeling.

Lewis Hamilton said during press conference

Moreover, Hamilton recalled his successful career at his former two teams, McLaren and Mercedes. The 40-year-old insisted that when he his F1 debut with the Woking-based team at the Australian GP was an ‘epic’ feeling. While few years later when he raced for Mercedes for the first time, he once again felt incredible.

I’m very fortunate to have had this amazing career, starting with McLaren here in 2007 was an epic feeling, and then starting with Mercedes was again incredibly special.

Lewis Hamilton added

Lewis Hamilton building trust with Ferrari

The seven-time world champion has joined a new team for the first time since 2013. As such, adapting to a new environment might’ve come as a challenge for Hamilton. However, the 40-year-old has blended well at Maranello and even started to learn Italian.

Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton pointed out that the best way to kick off a stint at a new team is to get up to speed and start bringing results as soon as possible. Though, the British driver recognized that this is not easy as a transition period is inevitable to lay down a foundation.

I think joining a new team, the sooner you can get to performing at a higher level and getting results, the better but inevitably there’s that transition period and there is a foundation that’s needed to be built.

Lewis Hamilton noted

Subsequently, Hamilton asserted that the first half of 2025 will be crucial to create a good foundation with the Scuderia, while strengthening his relationship with every single person at Maranello. Moreover, he pointed out that mutual respect is formed quickly, but trust takes time.

The first half of the season really is that foundation building, the relationships, the trust, with absolutely every single person in the team. Whilst respect is given, trust is built overtime.

Lewis Hamilton explained

The British driver understands that it takes time to be in complete sync with a new team. Lewis Hamilton has shown that he is ready to work overtime to get up to speed, and learn Ferrari’s way of operations. This will prove vital as the season finally begins on Sunday.

Ferrari might be the right place for Lewis Hamilton

The F1 star struggled in the ground-effect era since 2022. Mercedes failed to provide him with a capable car, which only made matters worse on-track. This was evident as Lewis Hamilton went through a shocking 945-day winless streak between 2022 and 2024. As such, it is no surprise that Hamilton announced his switch to Ferrari even before last season even began.

Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)

So far, Hamilton has seemed like a whole different person at Maranello. The 40-year-old is once again full of energy and motivation, something that was lacking in the past couple of seasons. Lewis Hamilton sees his Ferrari journey as a new start, something he desperately needed.

The seven-time world champion is now even enjoying things that he was never particularly fond of, such as preseason testing. So much so, that Lewis Hamilton simply can’t wait to finally take the SF-25 to the grid on Sunday, and potentially fight for his first win for the Scuderia. However, the Tifosi will need to wait and see whether Hamilton and Ferrari have the pace to really have a fighting chance for victories over the course of this season.