Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his first Grand Prix in a Ferrari (Image: Getty)
has discussed the possibility of winning on his debut at the next month.
The Brit achieved huge success at , where he won six of his seven F1 world titles. But a late-career switch to the Scuderia will show exactly what he still has left in the tank against a young and hungry team-mate in .
managed to stand atop the podium on his first outing for in 2010. And fellow modern-day F1 legend also got off to a flyer, winning only his second race with the Italian team five years later.
Hamilton praised both for their early success while playing down his chances of following suit. “Those guys did an amazing job,” said the 40-year-old.
“I have huge respect for those two drivers and, having joined teams before, the step it takes and the amount of work that goes on to acclimatise is extraordinary and so it makes those results that they had even more exceptional than even I had appreciated before.
“What I know is that the testing is more limited than ever before but, fortunately, I’ve had a good bit of time in the car. I am still acclimatising. It took me six months, I think, in to get my first win. Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m doing everything I can to be ready for race one.”
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Fernando Alonso won his first Grand Prix with Ferrari in 2010 (Image: Getty)
Heading into a fourth season under the same set of design regulations, the top four teams have bunched up and could contest a mouth-watering battle for the crown in 2025.
are widely considered the favourites after finishing last season strongly and winning the Constructors’ Championship. But were only 14 points behind them, third-place are always a threat and will be desperate to get back on top early in their new post-Hamilton era.
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With golden boy Leclerc set to pair up with the most decorated driver of all time in Hamilton, team principal Fred Vasseur boasts a star-studded driver line-up. That could saddle him with a tricky balancing act during the season, but he refuses to be daunted.
“Honestly, I’m not scared at all with this, because we need to have this kind of emulation,” said Vasseur. “We need to have two drivers in a kind of competition, a positive competition and a positive emulation. And I’m sure that will be the case.”