Lewis Hamilton opens up on Ferrari experience: It’s not what I expected at all

The superb 49-year-old operator Lewis Hamilton gave an exclusive interrogation to Gaetan Vigneron for RTBF. The Ferrari driver spoke candidly astir his archetypal acquisition successful red, his enactment down the scenes and his narration with Formula 1.

“I emotion being successful red!” – said Hamilton arsenic helium spoke astir his archetypal months astatine Ferrari. 

“It’s not what I expected astatine all; it’s overmuch much aggravated connected truthful galore levels. I didn’t deliberation the mill could beryllium truthful impressive. I expected energy, but this is adjacent stronger than I imagined. There’s a immense consciousness of pridefulness wrong the team. During a sprout past week, I had a grin connected my look the full time. I emotion being successful red! I look astatine the crest and think: wow, I’m a Ferrari driver. It’s phenomenal.”

Passion and enactment ethic

The experienced operator besides highlights the passionateness of the fans helium feels each implicit the world. 

“In each state Ferrari has a peculiar spot successful people’s hearts. It’s truly unique. The athletics is increasing twelvemonth by year, determination are much fans and much stands. It’s a privilege to beryllium a portion of this, due to the fact that determination are lone 20 of america successful the satellite who person this job.”

On the track, Hamilton seems calm, but admits that helium is moving harder than ever. 

“This twelvemonth I person spent much clip successful the mill than ever earlier successful my career. I would accidental I person worked much than successful each the erstwhile years. I emotion to work; I americium a existent workaholic. I person a batch of meetings, a batch of projects extracurricular of F1 – from a manner postulation to a movie astir Formula 1. But my main absorption is ever the same: however to beryllium the champion operator and the champion squad player.”

The Brit is besides unfastened astir his backstage life: 

"It's precise analyzable to find a balance. I spot different drivers with families, but I made a antithetic choice. I privation to marque the astir of this time, due to the fact that it's shorter than radical think. When I retire, I'll beryllium capable to bash immoderate I want. My imagination is to triumph the rubric with Ferrari. All the ingredients are there, we conscionable request to enactment them together. That's what I'm trying to bash unneurotic with Fred Vasseur and the team."

Hamilton does not fell that helium wants much than sports; 

"I'm a driver, but I bash much than that. I person a instauration that helps children without entree to education, I enactment with organizations against kid malnutrition. There is inactive a immense inequality successful our sport, a deficiency of diversity, excessively overmuch discarded astatine each race. I person to usage it for those who don't person that opportunity.

I don't deliberation astir legacy. Every epoch had its champion. What I'm funny successful is what I tin concretely contribute. If the caller procreation has questions, I'm here. I've been done everything."