Lewis Hamilton feels he is as “best prepared as could be” given the short time he has had at Ferrari ahead of his race debut with the team at next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton will make his eagerly-anticipated bow at a race weekend in the famous red of the Italian team at Melbourne’s Albert Park, which is opening the season for the first time since 2019, with the race live on Sky Sports F1 at 4am on Sunday March 16.
Hamilton’s only other debuts for teams in F1 – with McLaren in his rookie season of 2007 (when he finished third) and Mercedes in 2013 (fifth) – also came in Melbourne and the 40-year-old says he now cannot wait for the 24-race campaign to get under way.
“It has been a long winter but it’s also been very short,” said Hamilton, who started work at Ferrari on January 20.
“But I’m really grateful. We had good testing last week. I can’t believe the race is already next week so already start to make my venture to Australia on Friday. It’ll start to sink in a little bit as this weekend before arrives.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Toto and Susie Wolff discuss who could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Formula 1: Drive to Survive S7 launches March 7
“I feel excited. I feel we’re as best prepared we could be given the short space of time that I’ve had. There’s still things to learn but I’m just excited to get going. I love racing.
“All the other stuff is stuff I love less. Racing is what I love. Being at Melbourne is going to be very reminiscent of my first grand prix there.”
After 12 years at Mercedes where he rewrote the sport’s record books, Hamilton’s new adventure at F1’s most legendary team comes at the start of his 19th season on the grid and two months after his 40th birthday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is in a buoyant mood during the final day of testing ahead of the new Formula 1 season
“I’m now embarking on something brand new for me and something I didn’t think would happen when I turned 40,” he added.
“I’m still pinching myself. Next week when I get to the race, I’m going to be starting a grand prix in red – wow! I don’t have the words to really explain how excited I am, just trying to stay cool and calm, but for sure arriving in red is going to be cool.”
Are Ferrari in the mix to win the Melbourne opener?
While McLaren head into the first race seemingly as the team to beat after impressive pre-season testing, Ferrari appear likely to be in the mix at the front too.
Charles Leclerc scored more points than any driver in the second half of last season and, speaking at the same event in Italy as Hamilton to mark Puma’s 20-year association with Ferrari, made clear the Scuderia are determined to end their 17-year world title drought in 2025.
“I’m super motivated,” said Leclerc, who finished second to then-team-mate Carlos Sainz in Melbourne last year.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Craig Slater and Ted Kravitz give their predictions as to which team will be quickest this season and who will be slowest after testing in Bahrain
“Obviously there has been so much work behind the scenes, and we want to try and win that one. We will see where we stand once we finish that first race and work from there, but there’s a lot of motivation and we want to bring Ferrari back to the top for sure.”
After the sole three-day test in Bahrain featured unseasonably chilly and even wet weather, team boss Frederic Vasseur added: “It was very difficult to draw a conclusion in Bahrain with these extreme conditions, but now we want to go back on track to fight and to race.”
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime