Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his worries of struggling with the “cultural differences” upon leaving Mercedes to join Formula 1 rivals Ferrari.
Hamilton is now on the home stretch of his first season with the Scuderia, and by all accounts, it has been an unhappy year for the seven-time World Champion.
With only a Sprint Race victory to his name, Hamilton has failed to make the top three in Ferrari red, amid continuous struggles with the team’s SF-25 challenger.
It is undeniable that the union between Hamilton and Ferrari has been underwhelming from a results point of view, but the combination continues to excite, with one of the sport’s best-ever drivers and teams coming together.
Despite the initial fanfare and outpouring of affection Hamilton received from the partisan tifosi, the Briton was always going to be faced by a new style of off-track life, having always been accustomed to driving for British-based teams.
Speaking on Ferrari’s social media, Hamilton was candid about the excitement that still exists about driving for the team, but admitted the change in culture was always going to be something additional to pick up.
“It’s so special here,” he said. “Red is one of my favourite colours. Ferrari is about history, the badge and what it symbolises.
“The cars are masterpieces. It’s the language, the culture, the food. It’s in how Italians express passion for everything.
“Over the years different cultures have got involved and they’ve pulled in people from all walks of life, but at its core Ferrari is Italian.
“I never thought I’d get a role here. I worried about the cultural differences, to be honest, but then you get here and everyone is clearly very open-minded.
“Ultimately it’s human to human. When you create bridges, all the other stuff falls away.”
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