As some may say, Lewis Hamilton ‘s debut races in Ferrari have been tumultuous, but hope is not lost ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP. Bar the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, the British driver has struggled to be on par with teammate Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari transformation ‘just going to take time’
It’s no surprise that Hamilton has been subject to increased scrutiny with his move to Ferrari. From the downbeat post-race interviews, to the back-and-forth radio communication with his engineer Riccardo Adami.
Hamilton acknowledged the Ferrari comments while speaking to the media ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP. The 40-years-old admitted that time is needed in order to establish a relationship with a team.
“On one side it’s to be expected – it [Ferrari] is the greatest team in Formula 1 history, it’s that special, of course there’s more stories that are written about it and people have opinions. And it’s not always been smooth sailing. So, just from my perspective, you can’t work with a team and change things overnight.”
In addition, Hamilton reaffirmed the commitment to building a stronger relationship and understanding within the confines of Ferrari. He remains positive in understanding what he needs from the team, and what the team needs from him.
“We’ve spent time getting to know each other. There are changes that are short term that we’ll do together, keep all the greatness and keep building all the areas that we could be stronger in. Some of those are short-term and some of them are longer term.
“There’s so many great things within this team. We want to harness the energy and the passion that’s within the team.“
“We also have to protect the team as well because the spotlight is on this team more than any other. Everyone in this team, their heart is so in it. It’s like we’re riding a rollercoaster together, up and down, and I have no doubts we will get to where we plan to be – it’s just going to take time.”
F1 should be “tough” amidst extreme conditions – Hamilton
Another point of conversation around the paddock is about the extreme conditions drivers are subjected to in some race weekends. Wherein extreme humidity causes the already hot cockpit to become hotter, which some drivers may not be able to handle. One such case was Lance Stroll at the 2023 Qatar GP, where him and other drivers attended the medical centre after the race due to heat exhaustion.
The former Mercedes driver argued that the sport is supposed to be “tough”. Implying that being in the pinnacle of open-wheel racing shouldn’t be smooth sailing.
Hamilton ahead of his fifth round with Ferrari in the Saudi Arabian GP expressed how he believes drivers should face the heat issue on their own by increasing their physical strenght
“I’ve only had like two races in my career where it’s been like Malaysia. My first year in Malaysia, the drink machine didn’t work. So I was just dehydrated at the end of the race and Singapore last year was pretty brutal.
“But I love that, we’re supposed to be the top, the highest of the highest in terms of athletes, and it needs to be tough.
Cooling system not it for Hamilton
Hamilton then siscussed the newest cooling vests which are being tested out by the drivers. The seven times Wolrd Champion admits that a cooler ambiance inside the car isn’t what he wants. Instead, he would rather learn how he can prepare himself to be ready amidst the conditions out on the track.
“If anything, you know, the cars today are easier to drive than when I started in F1. They’re a lot heavier, but I don’t want to use it [the cooling system] if I can avoid it.“
“It’s not something for me. I want to look at how I can prepare better, how I can use a cooling vest before, how I can pre-cool my body, and how I can make sure I’m hydrated.“
His focus is on how he himself can be more performing, rather than having a technological aid:
“That’s a part of the whole process, but I do understand that it’s tough and we don’t want the drivers passing out and we go to Qatar where I think that one race where it was extremely hot for the drivers, which I actually crashed out so I didn’t get to do it.
“I think it’s good that they’ve got the technology in there, but for me, it’s not what I want to see in my car.”
