Lewis Hamilton says first Ferrari run was “a lot more emotional” than his early F1 debuts

Lewis Hamilton has said stepping into a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time was "a lot more emotional" than similar experiences when he was a younger man.

Hamilton joined the Scuderia for the start of the 2025 season to massive fanfare. But his performance with the team has been lacklustre for a number of reasons. The driver has struggled to adapt to such a different outfit, and both he and his team-mate Charles Leclerc have fought against a difficult car.

But despite this, the seven-time world champion feels at home in the Italian squad, admitting his first outing in its car was more special than similar experiences that came before it.

“Well, I’m in a different place in my life," he told Ferrari Magazine. "I’m 40 now and I was 21 the first time I sat in an F1 car. To come from where I’ve come from, from watching F1 on TV, aspiring to race at the top level, to getting into an F1 car with the people around you, the mechanics and all the machinery…

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"And then to be dropping myself into a red car 20 years later, it was a lot more emotional. When I was 21 it wasn’t an emotional thing, it was ‘exciting’, because everything was firing inside me. When you get in the Ferrari, it’s love. You make a different connection."

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings, just 64 points behind Ferrari stalwart Leclerc, who sits in fifth. And as the 2025 season begins to draw to a close, the Briton is starting to understand his Italian machinery.

"It’s so special here," he continued. "Red is one of my favourite colours. Ferrari is about history, the badge and what it symbolises. The cars are masterpieces. It’s the language, the culture, the food. It’s in how Italians express passion for everything.

"Over the years different cultures have got involved and they’ve pulled in people from all walks of life, but at its core Ferrari is Italian. I never thought I’d get a role here. I worried about the cultural differences, to be honest, but then you get here and everyone is clearly very open minded. Ultimately it’s human to human. When you create bridges, all the other stuff falls away.”

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