Lewis Hamilton took his first podium finish with Ferrari in China: now the record world champion is chasing his first Ferrari victory, which is “more tangible than ever before”
Lewis Hamilton has finally made his breakthrough in his 26th Formula 1 race for Ferrari: the 41-year-old Briton finished third on the podium at the Chinese Grand Prix, ending a long dry spell. But the record-breaking world champion has long since set his sights on bigger goals.
Then Hamilton is now chasing his first Ferrari victory. “I can definitely say that it is more within reach than ever before,” the Briton is convinced. Last year, victory was “still a long way off”. Although the Scuderia is currently performing strongly, the gap to Mercedes is considerable.
Hamilton also admits that the Silver Arrows are “currently four or five tenths ahead of us” in the race. “That’s a huge step to make up, both in terms of downforce and efficiency as well as performance,” explains Hamilton. “It’s a huge upgrade that we have to work towards.”
“But I firmly believe in everyone at Maranello and that we can do it,” says the record world champion, who believes he can finally celebrate his first Formula 1 victory with Ferrari this year. “Forza Ferrari, we just have to keep pushing.”
Lewis Hamilton “definitely feels in top form”
Another argument is Hamilton’s current condition. “I definitely feel in top form again, both mentally and physically,” reveals the 41-year-old, even if there is still room for improvement: “Training this winter has been the hardest and most intense I’ve ever had, and that’s probably down to age.”
“It takes longer to recover,” he says.
“Recovery takes longer,” adds Hamilton. “But I’ve managed to use these new skills. I’ve got a great coach who I’ve worked with before, and we’ve been working together again since Christmas.”
“Then the time at the factory, with a new engineer of course, and that was a real boost as well. The atmosphere in the team is great.” The Ferrari driver wants to pay even more attention to his mental attitude in future and continue to optimize it.
Ferrari SF-26 developed according to Hamilton’s wishes
“I think there is still more to it,” Hamilton also emphasizes. “I think I can get even more performance out of this car. I’m constantly learning, especially when it comes to deployment planning.” One clear advantage compared to last year: Hamilton was involved in the development of the SF-26.
“Last year, towards the middle to end of the season, I had intensive discussions with the engineers and talked to them about my wishes for a car that I wasn’t involved in developing last year,” recalls the Briton. “This year, I then developed the car further together with them.”
“It’s great to see how they listened and implemented some of my wishes,” praises the Ferrari driver, who is “incredibly grateful” for this. “It just makes you feel more connected to everyone because you’re going in the same direction. So I’m really looking forward to being back in Maranello next week and seeing everyone again.”