Sebastian Vettel has outlined the “biggest shift” Lewis Hamilton faces as he bids for Formula 1 glory with Ferrari.
It is a path trodden by Vettel who joined the Italian team in 2015 after four titles won with Red Bull. He failed to add a fifth in a six-year spell with Ferrari, however, though the German did finish as runner-up to Hamilton twice.
And he knows exactly what it’s like to move to Maranello from a UK-based team and the culture shock that comes with it. Vettel said: “It’s big. Anybody who changes team, it’s a big move. New people you work with is probably the biggest one.
“It’s a different culture. Obviously most of the teams are English, only two are Italian. That’s probably the biggest shift. I grew up watching Michael [Schumacher]. He was my hero and he was most of the time in red, so to me it felt different because of that.
“I’m not sure Lewis had the same dream, but I think it’s special for anyone who gets the chance to step into the red car.” Hamilton worked hard over the winter to acclimatise to his new surroundings and get to know the colleagues who will be crucial to his title bid.
He has looked re-energised since switching from Mercedes and declared this week that he is “really enjoying” his time with Ferrari. Hamilton said: “This is definitely the most exciting period of my life. I’m very, very fortunate I’ve had this amazing career in F1.
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“Starting with McLaren here in 2007 was an epic feeling, then starting with a new team again in Mercedes was incredibly special. I think this is very reminiscent probably of my first year. For all those years I’ve gone up and down the paddock, looking at and seeing the red garage, and now I’m actually in the red garage – it’s a really nice feeling.”
Aged 40, Hamilton wants to win an eighth title before he retires. Some have questioned whether he is still at the peak of his powers after a disappointing end to his trophy-laden Mercedes career, but he insists: “Always through the years, the pressure that I’ve put on myself has always been 10 times higher than any other pressure that can be put upon me.
“I’ve not joined this team and been made to feel any pressure. I have an expectation for myself, I know what I can bring, I know what I can deliver, and I know what it’s going to take to do that. It’s just getting your head down and working away. I come with a very open mind coming into this weekend. It’s about getting into a season and getting into a good rhythm.
“I’m still learning this new car that’s quite a lot different to what I’ve driven for all my previous career, in the sense of Mercedes power. Coming to Ferrari power is something kind of new, a different vibration, a different feel. It’s [also] a different way of working… the whole team works completely differently. You’re looking at things from a different perspective, which makes it exciting and challenging.”
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