Lewis Hamilton revealed that he has accepted criticism about his debut Formula 1 season with Ferrari, citing that those from the outside won’t understand his struggles.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 was heralded by many as the rebirth of the seven-time F1 champion’s career after a disappointing end to his 13-year stint at Mercedes.
Instead, his troubles have followed him to F1’s most iconic marque, his Sprint Race win in China remaining the only highlight in a campaign that continues to underwhelm.
The Briton has cut a desolate figure at times, but he is confident of a breakthrough in results, despite the pain of a maiden Ferrari podium slipping away in Mexico.
Revealing the difficulties of adapting to life at Ferrari, Hamilton has detailed the fundamental differences of driving for a team with a polar opposite approach to racing.
“That’s not many people”, he said to Ferrari Magazine when asked about fans knowing that adapting to a new team is not an overnight task.
“Only when you’re inside a team can you really, truly understand how it works and how F1 works.
“You can’t imagine how the machine really operates otherwise. I’ve been in F1 for so long, but when I came to this team it really was different again.
“So I don’t blame people for not knowing. All I can do is continue to focus on the things that I can control. How I prepare, and work with the team. How I show up each day and stay positive.”
Breaking down cultural barriers
Hamilton has struggled to overcome cultural differences at Ferrari but cited his close friendship with Niki Lauda, who became pivotal in his move to Mercedes for 2013.
He revealed that the late three-time World Champion and Mercedes Non-Executive Chairman harboured a less-than-complimentary view of him when he debuted in 2007.
“Niki was part of a world that couldn’t adapt to me being different”, he recalled of the stereotyping he faced during his first year in the sport.
“I heard negative things, though I’d always had an admiration for him as a three-time world champion.
“He’s one of the true icons of our sport. Then he’s on the phone telling me why I should come to the team and then when we finally met we had a really good conversation. He said, ‘you’re just like me, you’re a racer to the core’.
“It wasn’t until we had that meeting that those barriers came down, that the stereotyped view he may have had was dealt with.
“After that we would travel to races together and he’d fly us places all the time.”
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