There’s magic here – Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari have title-winning ingredients

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari have every ingredient needed to win the world championship and is more hopeful than ever that he can claim a record eighth crown.

Speaking at length for the first time since he completed his blockbuster transfer from Mercedes – a move which is set to earn the British driver north of £100million across the next two seasons – Hamilton said he has raised every aspect of his game in a bid to write his name into the history books and deliver Ferrari’s first title in nearly two decades.

Hamilton also denied that he would immediately retire if he was “fortunate enough” to win another title.

Hamilton is entering the 19th season of his career, following a dozen campaigns at Mercedes.

When asked if he believes his new team is ready to carry him to further glory, Hamilton, without hesitation, replied: “Yes. I’ve worked with two World Championship-winning teams (McLaren and Mercedes) and I know what a winning team looks and feels like.

“The passion here is like nothing I have ever seen. They have got absolutely every ingredient needed to win a world championship.”

Hamilton was denied an eighth title following a deeply contentious season decider in Abu Dhabi in 2021 before three underwhelming seasons followed.

Hamilton won just two races during that period and endured a sobering concluding year at Mercedes. At the penultimate round in Qatar he said he was “slow” and appeared to question whether he still has the tools to fight at the sharp end of the grid.

He was soundly beaten in qualifying by former Mercedes team-mate George Russell and at Ferrari he will be paired with Charles Leclerc – a driver many perceive to be one of, if not the fastest driver over one lap, in the sport.

Age is also not on Hamilton’s side after he turned 40 last month but when asked if he is more hopeful than ever that he can land an elusive eighth crown, he said: “Yes.

“This team has an insane legacy and in their DNA, they have that winning mentality. The competition is fierce and it is going to be close at the top but with the energy that I am receiving from the team, there’s magic here.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work and grafting from absolutely everyone and everyone’s putting that in already to achieve it, but it’s also about belief.

“For me, I am not thinking about the number eight. I’m thinking like it is the first for Ferrari and the first championship that the team will have won for some time.

“So, how can I contribute to that? And how can I help them achieve that? The organisation is massive and you don’t want to let people down. You want to be able to deliver on your work.

“My resolution for the year was that my life, my mentality, had to be elevated in absolutely every area – my fitness, my time management, how I engage with my engineers, how much time I spend in the factory, all these different things.

“I’ve definitely done that and I will continue to do that, in this strive for perfection and to achieve the success that I’m aiming to achieve.

“And if I was fortunate enough to win another title, which is obviously what we’re setting out to do, I don’t see myself stopping.”

Ferrari were narrowly beaten to last year’s constructors’ championship by McLaren at the final round in Abu Dhabi and, with only minor changes to the sport’s rulebook, they should be at the front of the pack again when the season fires up in Melbourne on March 16.

Hamilton was speaking from Ferrari’s Maranello base in northern Italy a day after he appeared alongside the grid’s 19 other drivers at Formula One’s glitzy season launch in London.

He completed a number of laps in his new machine during a shakedown run at the team’s Fiorano test track ahead of next week’s winter test in Bahrain.

Hamilton, who said he is continuing to learn Italian, added: “Everyone has bent over backwards in this team to make me feel welcome. I really feel at home. I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and it feels natural, it feels right.

“When I was much younger, I definitely didn’t think in my 19th season that I would be this excited. I never thought at this point in my career I would have so much excitement. But I am working as hard as I can to achieve the dream.”