Hamilton: The team's work is truly inspiring.

      At the beginning of this season, Lewis Hamilton's and Ferrari's performances are clearly better than last year, and the seven-time world champion has already managed to reach the podium at the Chinese Grand Prix. Moreover, he also finished third in the Saturday sprint in Shanghai, and after three races of the season, he has already scored 41 points. In 2025, he scored exactly that much over six races.

      Before the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton stated that his psychological mindset has changed and assured that he has not lost the qualities that have always distinguished him: “I will continue to demonstrate them despite everything that some people write about me, and I intend to give absolutely all my strength to overcome difficulties. That is the goal I set for myself.”

      In any case, Lewis feels much more comfortable in the Maranello team – it seems he has fully adapted to the Italian approach to work, and to be closer to Ferrari, he spent long periods living in his motorhome parked right on the factory grounds in Fiorano during the offseason. But the main thing, according to him, is that he has learned not to pay attention to external noise.

      “I would say, when you go through tough times, you are always asked a lot of questions,” he reflected in an interview with the championship's official website. “I know people who have never been close to the success I have achieved, yet they speak poorly of me and continue to do so to this day.

      I am glad that I am able to return to my previous level, that I started this season confidently and intend to continue showing such results. It feels like the team is full of energy, and how well we are working together creates a very positive impression.

      I enjoy driving our new car. Last year, while working on the simulator, I played a significant role in its development, so I am pleased to see how some of the things I asked the team for have been incorporated into the SF-26 design.

      The difference in approaches between Mercedes and Ferrari is huge, and I am sure that people watching from the outside simply do not understand how difficult it is to adapt when you move to another team. Learning to use new tools, but first and foremost, mastering a new culture, understanding what work approaches people like, and how to align that with the approaches you prefer – all of this is very serious work...

      Last year taught us a lot, and now the team is applying that experience, which has allowed us to start the season much better. We see how the process of modernizing the car is going. Before the Japanese Grand Prix, I was at the base in Maranello, visiting different departments of the team, consulting with our specialists, telling them what I was not satisfied with in the car, and asking if we could direct additional resources to solve these issues – that’s exactly what we need right now.

      Last year, we did not have the opportunity to work this way and hold such meetings (since chassis development was not ongoing), but this year we have plans for the entire season... I have never had to work so hard just to get on the podium, and I am very grateful that I managed to do it, although in the past I was lucky and finished in the top three many times.

      The team has always supported me very well, and finally, I recorded this podium for myself. It simply inspires hope and sets the tone for continuing in the same vein, and I intend to put in even more effort to work even better with our team.

      Everyone at Ferrari is giving their all, and to be honest, it truly inspires me, and I am looking forward to everything that awaits us in the coming months. Of course, this break in the season is quite strange, but it gives us time to analyze the results of the first three races. We will push even harder to achieve better results in the next stage.”