Lewis Hamilton was in high spirits as he spoke in the press conference ahead of his first race weekend as a Ferrari driver at the Australian Grand Prix.
With Melbourne returning to its season-opening slot for the first time since 2020, Hamilton reflected on his F1 debut at Albert Park back in 2007 and looked ahead to starting a new chapter with Ferrari.
“I’m very, very fortunate I’ve had this amazing career in F1. Starting with McLaren here in 2007 was an epic feeling, then starting with a new team again in Mercedes was incredibly special,” Hamilton shared at the first press conference of the year.
“I think this is very reminiscent probably of my first year. For all those years I’ve gone up and down the paddock, looking at and seeing the red garage, and now I’m actually in the red garage… It’s a really nice feeling.”
Hamilton not feeling external pressure ahead of Ferrari debut
Despite the overwhelming buzz surrounding his high-profile move to Ferrari, Hamilton downplayed any external expectations, insisting that he is approaching the first race of the season with an “open mind”.
“I think just, always through the years, the pressure that I’ve put on myself has always been 10 times higher than any other pressure that can be put upon me,” Hamilton said. “I’ve not joined this team and been made to feel any pressure.
“I have an expectation for myself, I know what I can bring, I know I can deliver, and I know what it’s going to take to do that. It’s just getting your head down and working away. I come with a very open mind coming into this weekend.”
“I’m under no assumptions that it will be easy. It’s not,” he continued. “But I don’t feel the pressure. The outside pressure is non-existent for me. The pressure is with from within, what I want to achieve.
“I’m not here to prove anything to anybody. I never feel I have to do anything. I’ve been here a long time and done it time and time again.
“I know what it takes to do the job, and that’s what I want to deliver for myself, my family, for this team that I really believe deserve success.”
The “most exciting period” of his life
Hamilton acknowledged that he’s still adjusting to the new car and surroundings but expressed his excitement about what lies ahead.
Discussing the weekend ahead, he said, “It’s about getting into a season. It’s about getting into a good rhythm.
“As I said a while ago, still learning this new car that’s quite a lot different to what I’ve driven for the last… for all of my previous career in the sense of the Mercedes power. Coming into Ferrari power, it’s something quite new, different vibration, different feel, different way of working. The whole team works completely differently.
“You’re looking at things all in from a different perspective and which makes it exciting and challenging.
“This is the most exciting period of my life. And so I’m really just enjoying it and I’m so excited to get in the car tomorrow.”
Australian GP weekend will reveal more about the pecking order for 2025
Pre-season testing in Bahrain indicated that Ferrari may be trailing behind front-runners McLaren. The Italian team experienced some issues that cut their final day of running short, and it appears that they’re yet to find an optimal working window for the SF-25.
The on-track action at Albert Park this weekend should paint a clearer picture of where the teams realistically stand.
“We’ve only had obviously three days in the car, so it’s difficult to know where we stand with everyone else, but we’ve just tried to keep our heads down and just focus on our job,” Hamilton said of Ferrari’s preparations for the season opener.
“Carlos [Sainz] was incredibly quick, Kimi [Antonelli] was really quick; it’s difficult to know who’s where. It looks like it’s going to be close between us all.
“For me, I mean, just itching to get going I guess. It’s been a long time coming and to think that this is going to be my first Grand Prix, one of those other firsts with the team as I experienced that all through the year. I feel very honoured and very grateful to have the opportunity.”
The main aim is to put “one foot in front of the other”
Asked about specific targets and what would constitute a successful weekend for him and the team, Hamilton kept expectations realistic, saying his main focus is on settling in and delivering his best performance. Somewhat jokingly, he added that he expects Ferrari to be somewhere in the top 5.
“I think I just ultimately want to come away knowing that I’ve given absolutely everything and I’ve excelled in the way that I know I can; that I felt comfortable in the car and just one foot in front of the other,” Hamilton commented.
“I don’t know what that means in results. Of course, we won’t know until tomorrow where we truly stand within the top teams. But I’m hoping that we’re able to compete for the top five. So, somewhere in that space.”
