Lewis Hamilton spoke at length yesterday about his start to life at Ferrari and his feelings about the new SF-25 chassis he will race this year. Here’s everything he had to say.
Q: How has it been out there over the last couple of days and what are your emotions right now?
Hamilton: It’s been a really good couple of days. Obviously the weather got in the way in a little bit of today’s running. So I didn’t get the full, there was an extra 30 laps or so I was supposed to try and get today. But nonetheless we got through a lot of the programme and we’re basically just focusing on exploring and, for me, just getting integrated with the team as much as possible. It might seem like it’s been long, but it’s not. It’s only been a month with the team, so we’ve crammed in a lot in this short space of time. But we’ve really come a long way together and the car was feeling good on-track.
Q: Do you feel the excitement at Ferrari and how how do you manage that?
Hamilton: I definitely do. I felt it at the beginning of last year and then particularly this year from day one. It’s been amazing to see the response from not only the team and the warm welcome that I’ve had within the team, but the positivity from people outside of the team and within the sport, but also outside, just everyone excited. It’s been a really great start to the year for me. So many positive things that have happened and positive things that are up ahead as well. So it just feels right, it feels great.
Q: You’ve had the emotional phase, now it’s the work phase. What stage are you in learning this car? When do you think you will have it under control as you want?
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Hamilton: Well, I don’t have a crystal ball, so all I can say is that we’re just taking it one day at a time at a time. We’re really just focussed on doing our job. We’re not watching everything else that’s happening. We’re literally just trying to make sure that we’re learning our processes in the car. With every lap and every session that I get I’m learning more about the car, getting more and more comfortable with all the completely different control systems that we have. I’m still in the learning phase of understanding the rear suspension, the front suspension, all the different settings that they have for those and the terminology that they use for them as well. My engineer and I are also learning how we both like to work in terms of communication. So after every session, every time I go out basically, we come back in, we’re making adjustments to the information I give him and vice-versa. But I think it’s on-plan. We couldn’t be further ahead with the short space of time that we’ve had. And I’ve been really looking into like the previous great drivers that came along, such as Sebastian and Fernando, who started much earlier than me, in November for example, so we’ve done a lot in that small period of time we’ve had. But I think it’s been really great and really well reciprocated on both sides.
Q: In these tests we often see you with your hand around your eyes or in front of your head. Is there a reason to this? Do you feel there is too much attention?
Hamilton: No, I think in general people that are in the spotlight are… you’re constantly being pictured. For me, I generally like to stay private as much as I can. Of course, I’m in this environment where it’s not necessarily the easiest, but I don’t always want a camera in my face. So if I don’t want to be pictured, then I don’t want to be pictured. The only way to do it is to cover my face, you’re not going to use a picture of me like this. They just take pictures and pictures and pictures and pictures and it’s all online. So it’s just about privacy. It’s about keeping some of something to myself. And I’m holding in, keeping a part of me, that’s the way I say happy.
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Q: You’ve talked about trying to condense the acclimatisation period as best you can here, yet you looked very confident in the car today. Can you say that the car as a concept is a better one for you than your previous car?
Hamilton: I think it’s very early, a bit early to say, but I am really enjoying the car. We’re slowly bonding, I think. Yesterday was a so-so day, it was just okay. But yesterday we got through all our run plan, we’re testing a bunch of things so I’m not doing set up changes or directing where we want the car to go, we’re just getting through the motions. As well today was a bit more of getting to explore a bit of my interaction with my engineer. But so far I really enjoy driving this car.
Q: Are you having to learn the terms for everything is like anti-roll bars?
Hamilton: It’s different. It’s just the effect is slightly different, the names they have will be different. But ‘roll’ is still ‘roll’. ‘Anti-roll bar’ is still ‘anti-roll bar’. But some of the other parts of the geometry, there’s just different words for it. So I’ve got it all on my computer and I’m studying it each day and night to make sure I understand when they’re talking about these different components, because I’ve done 12 years in another place, we talked about the same thing all the time, so I was used to it. I knew exactly what they are meaning. But every time they mention it in the debrief, I’m like: ‘What part is that? Okay, this part.’ So it’s part of the learning process and that’s what makes it exciting. It’s all new and that part, I’m loving that newness
Q: Is ‘hammer time’ is still going to be ‘hammer time’?
Hamilton: I haven’t spoken to my engineer about that. I don’t know how it would sound with an Italian accent. So I have to find an Italian word, probably. We’ll probably find something new.
Q: It’s a new environment for you, there are plenty of unknown faces, but you’ve got Angela Cullen back at your side. How important is it to have some familiar faces around? And don’t you wish you could have more people that you know around during this transition period?
Hamilton: It’s always important to have a good foundation of people around you. I’ve generally had a very good base for many, many years. So I still have all the elements, all the team that I had last year. But I’ve bought Ange on top of that and we have a great relationship me and Ange. We’ve known each other for a long, long time, we’ve gone through a lot together, and she took a couple of years out and she spent time with her family, discovering the world. Asking her to come and start this new chapter with me and her accepting was really exciting. We’ve been having a blast this past month together, it’s been really awesome.
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Q: The announcement was last year that you’re going to be a Ferrari driver, but this is the year when we could actually see you in red. How do you like that colour and how is life in general in Ferrari?
Hamilton: Well, I think red suits me so it’s good. We tested it out last year in a couple of outfits you could see. But honestly, it’s an honour to be a part of this historic team. Red is the colour of passion, right? It’s of love. So there’s a huge amount of passion in this team as you know, also with the fan base that they have with the tifosi and you see that with everyone at Ferrari because obviously at Ferrari, you’ve got the car manufacturer as well, but we’re all under pretty much the same roof. So when I cross the road and go to the wind tunnel, for example, I see other members of the team, but they’re not necessarily on the race team, but they’re still a part of the team. So it’s really, really special to see that and experience that each day, and each day obviously I’m meeting new people all the time. But they’ve gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, which has honestly been the best month. I’ve had the best time. It’s been tiring, we’ve definitely all been pushing, but this is the time of focus. Everyone has their their heads down, solely focussed on doing the best we can each day. As am I, just trying to make sure we bring our best each day.
Louis, you just.
Q: You said it’s been the best month but when you look at the fact that at this stage in your career, taking on a new challenge, how surprised maybe are you? Have you been positively surprised to be so energised at this point? And what do you think it will do for you?
Hamilton: How you start, often, is very important. I think this past month couldn’t have gone any different and it couldn’t have gone any better. Things along the way, they had to happen. Barcelona have to happen. The days that we’ve had, just every day has been significant and really about just building foundations. And whilst I mentioned we have to cram a lot in a small space of time, we haven’t rushed it. We still have taken the time, we’ve just been working flat-out in the days. Long, long, long days. But that’s what we’re here for, right? But I really do think it will pay dividends moving forwards. The work that has gone on, the focus, the communication, the changes that we’ve made. But there will be more also over the six-to-eight months. This is going to be continuously evolving. But I feel like we are. It’s felt seamless, it’s felt easy in a sense of gelling with the team. It’s not felt that I had to force it. It’s done it in its own time and I feel at home.
Q: What are your thoughts about this new Monaco pit stop rules? Do you like it? What do you think about it?
Hamilton: The two-stop? I’ve had that idea for… I’m pretty sure that was my idea anyways. But if you go back and look at some of the transcripts of previous years, I’ve been mentioning the two-stop for years. I think at Monaco it has to be at least a two-stop. I think the one-stop was never really great. I think that grand prix is a great grand prix, but the race has more to offer in the race, I think, hopefully maybe with more than one pit stop. I that that won’t fix it all. We’ll still have some of the issues of not overtaking and stuff, but I think it will make it more exciting. So I’m all for it.
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Q: Could you touch on your relationship with Charles Leclerc so far. How that’s developing? He mentioned that there seem to be some similarities with your driving styles and how that might help development going forward, but how is that going on your side?
Hamilton: Charles is massively talented and getting to see him work opposite the table and watching him in the garage, it’s been really, really great. Obviously he’s been here for a long time so he knows the team well. He speaks Italian. He’s at home and at ease. But because we already had a friendship before, I think that’s made it a lot easier to just get straight in the room and work together. And he’s incredibly talented so he’s going to be so fast this year. I’m looking forward to learning what I can from him and supporting him alongside the team to deliver the best results we can get.
Q: Looking ahead to Melbourne, it’s clear that it’s going to be incredibly tight between Ferrari, between McLaren, Mercedes and probably Red Bull as well. Hundredths of a second are going to count. How is your car? Do you have a feeling for it on the limit? Is it comfortable on the limit? Can you play with it a bit?
Hamilton: That’s what these days are about, right? It’s about exploring. At the moment I think there’s still room to explore more and I’m just bit by bit eking out a little bit more each time. All the settings are so different, even just brake bias and all those sorts of things, it’s much different to what I had in the previous place. So not necessarily unlearning what I did before, but kind of re-learning this new way of working and where the car likes to be driven. It likes to be driven differently and that’s a really fun journey learning that. But at the moment I definitely feel the car underneath me, I feel like the car is responding to my inputs. Today was a positive day in making those incremental steps with the set-up. There’s still more work to do, but as I said timings and all that stuff is kind of not massively relevant here. You’ve just got to focus on your program and we’ll find out in two weeks exactly where we stand. We’ll probably have a bit of a base feeling after tomorrow of randomly where we are, but like you said, it’s going to be very, very close. I think everyone’s done a great job over winter, even the Williams looking strong as well, which is great.
So.
Q: Earlier today I saw you in the box with John Elkann (Ferrari CEO) having a conversation about a book, I believe that Mr Elkann gave it to you, and you’re having a conversation about it and both smiled. It seems like a nice conversation. Can you tell me what was the title of the book? What’s the conversation about this?
Hamilton: He hasn’t given me the book, he just showed me a book that he is reading and that he recommended to me. John and I have a really great relationship. We talk about a lot of different things, more so outside of racing, more normal life stuff. I’m trying to learn from John, he heads a huge organisation, I want to learn from him and how he goes about his daily life, his daily roles within his family, how he manages those things. So I look to him to learn, so that was basically it. But it’s great that he’s here, it’s really awesome that he’s here because he doesn’t get a lot of time off to have days like this. So to be able to come here and be a part of the team on these days is great for everybody in the team.
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Q: Were you surprised about the amount of attention you’ve received at Ferrari?
Hamilton: Not really. If you think about my brand and the brand of Ferrari, you know it’s going to make some sort [on impact]. But of course, I didn’t know how much talk there would be and it’s been overwhelming how positive it’s been and how it’s been received. But again, everything we’ve done from the shoots, the marketing team that do an amazing job here where they turn around these great videos, it’s just been looking great. I don’t know if you saw the photo shoot that just came out today, I did the creative for that, which I’m really excited about. It’s been a pleasant surprise.
Q: You are quite the unique person, you have done and won everything. We see you so passionate. Could we say that you are still only focussed on winning?
Hamilton: Right now, that’s my sole focus. Of course I have other things like I have Mission 44, I have a team of work that we’re doing, impact work. So I have space in my life for those different bits, but like 99-8%, whatever you want to say is all about this. This is what I love. This is what I grew up dreaming of and I don’t know why I have the hunger that I have or the fight, or the desire to keep doing what I’m doing to the level that I’m doing it. But I’m grateful I have it and I’m really grateful for this sport. This sport has changed my life. I don’t know where I’d be without racing, but I’ve discovered I’ve grown so much through these years in this environment and I know I’ll do a lot more in this new chapter in my life, which I’m really excited about. So I can’t wait for the first race. I can’t wait to get racing. But I’m still going to enjoy the next days because I want to make each day count, always. And I think right now it’s just about being present, really open-minded. I’m trying to learn from all the engineers here who are experts and have their own experiences and see how I can gel mine to work towards the goal that we all share.
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