Lewis Hamilton said he felt “invigorated” and “full of life” after a move to Ferrari while his new car had been unveiled in front of some 15,000 raucous fans during the launch of the Formula 1 2025 season at the London O2 Arena on Tuesday. The world champion seven times Hamilton left Mercedes after 12 seasons to join the Italian giants for the next campaign that begins with the Australian Grand Prix next month in Melbourne. Ferrari has always been present throughout the history of the 75 years of the one formula and the prospect of winning an eighth pilot championship with the “Scuderia” clearly proven to be attractive for the Grand British Motorsport of 40 years Hamilton.
“The word I think is invigorated because I feel so full of life and so much energy because everything is new and I am just focused on what awaits us,” said Hamilton in a brief interview on stage – Ferrari holds a press conference in their headquarters in Maranello on Wednesday.
“I am so proud to be part of the team, something new and exciting for me,” he added following his first public appearance in the traditional colors of Ferrari Rouges.
His words echoed those of the reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who said Tuesday on Tuesday that his former rival could be “reborn” in Ferrari where he would join the Mongasque pilot Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton put an end to his expectations of more than two years for a victory with victory on the ground at home at the British Grand Prix in July.
However, he still finished a mammoth 214 points behind Verstappen in the pilots while his stay in Mercedes – where he won six titles – came to a disappointing end.
“New motivation”
But Verstappen, biding to equal the record of Michael Schumacher of five successive pilot championships, said that joining Ferrari could be the change that Hamilton needs.
“It will provide him with a different landscape, a new motivation,” said Verstappen. “And when you have been with a team for a long time, have you won a lot and then had a few difficult seasons, maybe your motivation is different.
“Now it’s almost as if he was reborn.
“We all know how good Lewis is and we all know how good Charles is. Ferrari has two big drivers. It will be exciting for sport, but it will also depend on the quality of the car.”
Hamilton joined a fairly Ferrari team at the manufacturers’ championship by McLaren last year.
“I certainly plan that Lewis is a championship candidate,” said McLaren Managing Director Zak Brown. “We and Ferrari finished last year with nothing between us and I think it will continue.”
Hamilton will have his first serious series of his new car during the only winter test session next week in Bahrain, Ferrari aimed at their first championship in almost two decades.
“If Lewis takes a good start and he gets the team around him, he will find his confidence and he could be a real competitor for this world championship,” said Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team in Verstappen.
Horner added: “But if he does not take a good start, it will inevitably be more difficult for him.”
The sumptuous event on Tuesday saw the 10 Grand Prix teams launching their new cars in the same place, the first time that this happened in the history of Formula 1.
“It is difficult to bring most of the teams to agree what day of the week it is,” said Horner. “So, to ensure that the 10 teams here launch their cars tonight, it was a big effort.”
“This is a show for fans,” he added, with the launch presented by British actor Jack Whitehall and with American machine gun Kelly before finishing with a performance in the 1990s pop group, Take That.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a unionized flow.)
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