Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he “didn’t know the way robust” adapting to life at Ferrari was going to be earlier than making the transfer from Mercedes.
After 12 years at Mercedes, Hamilton made the shock choice to affix Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season.
In 2024, Ferrari loved their finest marketing campaign in over a decade, ending inside a race victory of constructors’ champions, McLaren.
Consequently, a lot was anticipated of the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership going into the brand new marketing campaign.
In the end, it’s not lived as much as expectations, with the SF-25 struggling for total tempo.
Hamilton has struggled to get the higher of Charles Leclerc, solely displaying flashes of brilliance throughout dash weekends.
Talking forward of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Hamilton was open about how difficult it has been.
“I anticipated it will be very robust, as a result of I’ve joined a crew earlier than,” Hamilton mentioned as quoted by Motorsport.com.
“I got here in with a very open thoughts. I didn’t know the way robust it was going to be. I knew it was going to be difficult. It’s as difficult because it may ever be on all fronts.”
Ferrari’s poor begin to the yr means they sit 152 factors behind McLaren within the constructors’ championship.
Assessing whether or not Ferrari have any hope of this yr’s title, Hamilton mentioned: “Championship? There’s nonetheless a protracted, lengthy technique to go.
“From all of the years of expertise, once you’re over 100 factors behind at this level within the season, with a automotive that’s up in opposition to a automotive that’s fairly dominant, you need to assume that you simply’re not essentially combating for the win within the championship.
“However issues may flip round. We’ve by no means seen that occur.”
Can Ferrari upgrades save their season?
With F1 now in Europe after six flyaway races, all 10 groups are anticipated to introduce important upgrades.
Ferrari are set to introduce new components over the subsequent few races, with the Spanish Grand Prix most important heading into the remainder of the season.
In Spain, the FIA will introduce extra stringent assessments across the entrance wings.
This might impression the aggressive order, with Pink Bull claiming McLaren shall be hit hardest.
“In the meanwhile, I can’t let you know whether or not we’re going to achieve full tenths, half a second, a second by the tip of the season,” Hamilton defined.
“We need to get nearer to these issues. And as I mentioned, for the time being, we are able to’t shut the door to any thought. We have now to maintain our eyes and our heads up. We have now to remain vigilant. We have now to push with the expectation and the aim of successful.
“That’s nonetheless the aim of every weekend. Proper now, once I’m sitting with the engineers, it’s how are we going to win this weekend.
“If we are able to extract a little bit bit extra from the tyres, if we are able to extract a little bit bit extra from the ground, if each single one in all us is ready to pull out half a tenth every. Then, perhaps we are able to simply get there.”
