– Ferrari has presented itself as the second strongest force behind Mercedes in the first three races of the new season. Above all, record world champion Lewis Hamilton has made a significant performance leap compared to last year and even achieved his first podium with the Scuderia in China.
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How does that come about? “The biggest change is Lewis himself,” says former reserve driver and Ferrari ambassador Marc Gene in an interview with Sky. “He realizes that for the first time since last year he is competitive again, and that gives him a big boost.”
This development was already evident at the season opener in Australia. “You could already hear on the radio that Lewis was much more satisfied with the car,” says the Spaniard. “For example, he asked where he stood, and he was told he had the same lap time as Charles. You could hear in his response how happy he was.”
Last year, Hamilton had to deal with criticism after his shaky start in Maranello. “When you have difficult years, there are many questions everywhere,” he says. “Ultimately, I saw that certain people who did not come close to the success I had spoke negatively – just as they do to this day.”
Season start for Hamilton “a great feeling”
Already after the test drives in Bahrain, Hamilton had spoken appreciatively about the mood in the team and emphasized that everyone had “come back with an incredibly positive attitude.” The Brit was confident at the time that he could be more successful again this season.
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This impression has so far been confirmed. “It was a great feeling to come back, start the season strong, and show that I still have what it takes to compete at the front,” Hamilton concludes positively in an interview with F1.com.
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“I will continue to try to do my best and deliver.” After narrowly missing the podium in Australia as fourth, he managed to reach the podium for the first time since his move to Ferrari just one week later.
However, at the third race in Japan, there was the first setback when the Brit was clearly behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless, Ferrari currently remains the biggest threat to the dominant Mercedes drivers, even though the Scuderia still has significant development potential.
Why Lewis Hamilton currently believes in Ferrari
Hamilton is also optimistic in this regard. “In recent weeks, for example, I have been writing with the head of aerodynamics and asked: ‘Hey, have you seen this? Have you seen that on the car?’ The communication is really excellent,” explains the Brit.
“Everyone is giving their all, and it is incredibly inspiring to see when you work in such a great team and then see in the factory and office how everyone works down to the smallest detail and fights for every millisecond,” Hamilton adds.
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“These are the aspects I love most about this sport and would like to show people. That is what inspires you, and when you come back, you think: ‘Wow, the guys are really giving everything.’ So I am looking forward to the next few months.”
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