New Delhi: Lewis Hamilton admitted having “100% faith” in Ferrari despite a very difficult start to the season with the team. The seven-time world champion won the sprint race in China but struggled in the Sunday race at Shanghai as well as the opening race in Australia. Ferrari are fifth in the Constructors’ championship after both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc got disqualified from fifth and sixth places due to technical violations.
The 40-year-old called that the impression that he had lost faith in the team was “Rubbish” and trusted the Italian team. Hamilton said that there was a lot of “hype” around him joining Ferrari at the start of this season and the pressure on him and the team to perform from the word go. Hamilton though felt that he was aware coming to a “new team, new culture” takes time to adjust to.
Lewis Hamilton says he has “100% faith” in Ferrari despite a tricky start to the F1 season. 👊#BBCF1 pic.twitter.com/R44mzLfDDX
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 3, 2025
Hamilton felt that a new team along with the technical side of a car was always difficult to adjust to. Hamilton felt that in retrospect he was pleased at his ability to adapt to the car in only two races and was aware that he needed to move forward only. He admitted that he needed to understand the “tools” he had in hand and understanding how the car wanted to be driven.
Talking about the two races, Hamilton admitted he didn’t feel great with the car earlier on, but felt his pace was decent in the first two days of practice. In the race, it was the first time that he had driven in the rain, and hence, there was a lot of learning throughout the race.
Hamilton claimed that missing a test in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season, when other drivers tested out the new 2025 tyre designs and lost running time during preseason testing in Bahrain, had also had an impact on him. In the end, in China, it was the first occasion where, in the dry he had done a long run. In Bahrain, Hamilton’s car broke down, which prevented him from doing the long run.
It was in fact in the 20-lap sprint that the British driver was actually driving on the tyre. In the race, it was the first time Hamilton used the C2 (compound), and he felt it was another occasion of learning through the race. Hamilton felt that not testing the tyres had an adverse effect on him, and it wasn’t easy to assume how a tyre would behave right after being deployed for use.
Despite all the issues that the Maranello based team has face so far, which has ultimately put them 61 points behind Constructor’s Championship table leaders McLaren, Leclerc felt that Ferrari still had every chance of having an amazing season. The Monaco driver had finished ahead of Hamilton inspite of suffering a front wing damage in the first lap itself when the two cars in red crashed into each other.
Charles Leclerc remains positive about the season
Leclerc has pointed that the team had improved since 2024, which though didn’t get a flying start but ultimately ended as the second in the Constructor’s championship. It would have marked their first Constructor’s title since 2008. Leclerc remarked that everyone had expected Red Bull to dominate the season but it was Ferrari and McLaren who were fighting for the title.
The 27-year-old driver echoed that at the Ferrari paddock everyone was aware that they hadn’t maximized the care to its fullest potential. There was still time for recovery according to Leclerc with a lot of the season still left to happen.
For Ferrari, it is a chance to end their title drought of 17-years having two of the finest drivers on the grid at their disposal. Leclerc has been built by Ferrari, coming from the Ferrari academy while Hamilton remains as one of the most successful drivers in F1 history.
After two poor races at the start of the season, Lewis Hamilton maintains that he trusts the team of turning around their season, after overcoming challenges at the Maranello based team. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
