"Ferrari moved heaven and earth to accommodate me," Hamilton praises the Scuderia's efforts
On the back of a fairly challenging integration into Ferrari’s environment, seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton sounded a positive note, claiming that he and the Scuderia " will be stronger" as they gain experience.
Following the announcement of his departure from Mercedes last February, Ferrari announced they had reached a multi-year agreement with Hamilton to join the team in 2025, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. to partner Charles Leclerc.
Before joining the Scuderia at the start of this season, Hamilton stated it had been a "childhood dream" to drive for Ferrari.
In parallel to his move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, it was noted as one of the most unexpected driver transfers in Formula One history, and marked the first time in his career where he did not drive for a Mercedes-powered team.
Asked whether this has been his toughest season at the pinnacle of motorsport so far, Hamilton admitted that he has had several challenging F1 campaigns before.
"I don’t remember every single season, to be honest, so I don’t really want to compare it to others. I’m sure there have been plenty of seasons that have felt difficult. I remember 2009 was difficult.
"I remember 2010, 2011 wasn’t great. 2012 was a pivotal moment for me. Obviously 2022, 2023. So there’s been plenty of others that were just different. I was in a different place in my life.
"This one, really living the dream, moving to race with Ferrari. Of course, I had the whole of last year to think about it and try to prepare, but there are still things you couldn’t foresee.
"There’s been a lot of adjustment both from my side and the team’s side. They’ve really moved heaven and earth to accommodate me. Obviously, there are cultural differences."
On the eve of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur has admitted that the Scuderia might have underestimated the challenge of integrating Hamilton into a very different environment.
"Fred made a comment that perhaps they underestimated me joining the team and the year we’ve been faced with in terms of the problems with the car.
"So yeah, a combination of all those things. But honestly, the harder it is, the better it can make you. This year has been tough for everyone in the team, but it prepares us for better days.
"We’ll be stronger having gone through this tough first six months. I’m really excited and motivated for a positive uphill battle from here, and I feel like I’ve got the best people around me to do that," concluded Hamilton.
