Lewis Hamilton has to adapt to a lot of changes at Ferrari, but he likes them – after many years with Mercedes, the engine is probably the biggest change
Lewis Hamilton has driven with Mercedes power in the rear throughout his Formula 1 career, so how big was the change for the record world champion to his first kilometers with Ferrari?
In principle, the Ferrari is of course “well built,” explained Hamilton on Friday in the press conference at the test drives in Bahrain, “but also quite different in its characteristics”.
However, instead of reservations, this change triggers more joy in the long-standing Silver Arrow driver: “It’s refreshing to learn something new, different ways of driving the car, different requirements for taking corners.”
Hamilton on first impression: “It used to be easier”
However, the engine was still an experience for him that took some getting used to, Hamilton admits: “The engine has a different sound, a different feel, a different driving behavior. And I drove a Mercedes for so long, which was a great power unit. And it’s nice to see that Ferrari is also building a great engine.”
The Briton reveals that he is still investing a lot in fine-tuning his new engine: “It’s something where I’m spending a lot of time again with the engineers from the engine department, learning about the processes and how they approach durability and performance. It’s a process in itself, of course, but so far it’s going really well.”
As for the first overall impression of the car on the track, Hamilton is nevertheless stepping on the brakes a little and holding back on full-bodied forecasts for the time being – after his experiences with Mercedes in the recent past, he is a scarred child in this regard: “In the last four years or so, I’ve learned that you can’t really estimate too much from it, shouldn’t draw too much from that first impression.”
Hamilton continues: “I think for me, in the earlier years – especially with the previous generation of cars – it was definitely easier to get a feel for where you stand quite early on.”
With this assessment in mind, Hamilton is still carried away by an optimistic announcement: “I would say it is the most positive feeling I have had in a long time. But that’s really all I can say at the moment.”
