Lewis Hamilton has claimed that aligning his brand with Ferrari was "even more powerful" than he imagined.
The British driver made the blockbuster move to Ferrari at the start of 2025 after a 12-year stint with Mercedes, during which he secured six of his seven drivers' championships.
"I knew that aligning our brands would be big," he admitted to Ferrari Magazine. "But it still hits you and you’re like, 'This is even more powerful than I imagined.' It’s beautiful and there have been plenty of positives, although a lot of responsibility and weight comes with it. Everyone expects to win straight away but ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’
"How long did it take? We’ll have to look that up."
When it was put to him that anyone who knows anything about Formula 1 would know that it takes time to adjust to a new team, Hamilton added: "And that’s not many people. 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."
Since joining Ferrari, Hamilton has worked to adjust to the team. He currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 146 points, behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc in fifth with 210 points.
The seven-time champion secured his first sprint race win for the Maranello outfit in China and his best grand prix finish so far is fourth in Emilia Romagna, Austria, British and United States Grands Prix.
Ferrari currently sits second in the constructors' championship with 356 points with Mercedes closely behind in third with 355 points.
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