Lewis Hamilton hails ‘most exciting period of my life’ as he gets set for Ferrari debut in Australia

Lewis Hamilton was full of smiles as he faced the world’s media ahead of his first race weekend with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, sharing excitement and pride about representing the famous marque.

Hamilton officially made the switch from Mercedes over the winter and has gone through an intense acclimatisation programme – getting used to a different factory, meeting his new colleagues and driving various Ferrari F1 cars.

He got a proper taste of the team’s new challenger at the recent Bahrain pre-season test, but the opening round at Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit – where he previously debuted for McLaren and Mercedes – marks another ‘first’ in the journey.

Asked for his pre-race feelings in Thursday’s driver press conference, Hamilton said: “I’m very, very fortunate I’ve had this amazing career in F1. Starting with McLaren here in 2007 was an epic feeling, then starting with a new team again in Mercedes was incredibly special.

Hamilton shared a moment with rookie Kimi Antonelli outside the press conference room

“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.”

Hamilton was then quizzed about any pressure he might be feeling, as the seven-time World Champion follows in the footsteps of many other legendary names who raced for Ferrari in a bid to help deliver success.

EXCLUSIVE: The inside story of Hamilton and Vasseur’s last title win – and the ‘100%’ belief they can do it again at Ferrari

“I think just, 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,” he commented. “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.

Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know ahead of the 2025 F1 season

“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. This is definitely the most exciting period of my life, so I’m really just enjoying it.”

As for specific targets, Hamilton outlined the top five positions as a window he and Ferrari would be aiming for in their opening race together – describing it as a “one foot in front of another” process.

“We’ve only had obviously three days in the car, so it’s difficult to know where we stand with everyone else, but we’ve just tried to keep our heads down and just focus on our job,” he added. “It looks like it’s going to be close between us all.”