Lewis Hamilton explained how he’s approaching the challenge of adapting to the “alien” Ferrari Formula 1 car after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
After 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari represents a major shift in his glittering F1 career.
A Sprint pole and victory in China were highlights among difficult races for Hamilton to acclimate to a new car after getting set in his ways for well over a decade.
After qualifying ninth at the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday, Hamilton was despondent, but improving to fifth on race day saw his mood lifted and he opened up on what makes things tricky to overcome with his new team.
“It just feels so alien, it really does feel so alien,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week on Sunday.
“Sometimes I think we all [as drivers] get stuck in our ways, very stuck, I need to keep driving the way I’ve been driving, just make the car come to me a bit, and that’s not working.
“So I’m adjusting myself to the car, and also just the way the tools that they use, it just drives so much differently.”
Expanding further on the differences between Mercedes and Ferrari, Hamilton said, “Just one example, I’ve never used engine braking before in the past 12 years, but here we use a lot of engine braking to turn the car.
“We have much different brakes, the brakes are so much different to what I had in the past.
“In the last stint I had to use the rears to turn the car, and other times you have to put more weight on the front, so it’s probably a bigger balance window than I’m used to as well.”
Hamilton feeling positive after Bahrain GP
After a strong run to fifth, overtaking several cars and executing a competent strategy, Hamilton was feeling “much more positive” than post-qualifying.
“The middle stint felt really aligned with the car, the balance was in a spot, and my driving style seemed to be working in that moment,” he said.
“I’ve learned a lot from today, and this weekend actually a lot, probably more than all the other weekends.”
But with each venue representing a new journey for Hamilton for Ferrari, the Briton said, “the key is to try and get back to it every weekend.
“As clear as the car really does require a different driving style, I think I’m slowly adjusting to that.
“It’s also set up, I’ve been a bit all over the place, a long way from [team-mate] Charles [Leclerc] the past two weekends, and I’m slowly migrating towards him, so I think if I start the weekend in a more convenient spot, and apply the techniques that I learned this weekend, hopefully it’ll be worth it.”
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