Lewis Hamilton: You should never doubt yourself

      Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix, achieving perhaps one of the most important victories of his career, although he already had 105 such achievements – this became the 106th...

      Question: Lewis, please accept my sincerest congratulations! Over the years of your career, you have achieved a lot, but what does this first victory with Ferrari mean to you?

      Lewis Hamilton: I think it will take a few days before I truly realize it. And, of course, I will remember this day and think, "Oh, I wish I could find the right words." But how do you find such words to express all the emotions, given that something has happened that you could only dream of?!

      I really believed in my decision to join Ferrari, you know? I believed that this team could achieve a lot, that we could achieve a lot together. And I know that when it all started, there was a lot of excitement, but then it turned into doubts and pure negativity, which accompanied me all last year.

      And I believe that I was saved by the fans, as well as my family and friends who supported me throughout that period. And when the new season started, and many changes occurred, it allowed me to reach the level at which I am competing now.

      I just feel immense gratitude to everyone I work with, and I am very proud of all of them. These people are passionate about what they do, and they are characterized by humility and kindness. And when I saw them singing the Italian anthem, I was overwhelmed with absolutely incredible, unique feelings.

      Question: Can you call this victory a special, unique achievement?

      Lewis Hamilton: They are all special, each in its own way. Each had its own path. For example, the victory at Silverstone in 2024 was also significant for me, but after a season like last year, there were moments when I started to think, "Maybe it’s true that at some point you lose the ability to win races?"

      But I proved that this is not the case. You do not lose that ability; you just have to work harder, constantly show perseverance, keep believing in yourself, and maintain good physical shape. I am now competing with 19-year-old guys who are performing excellently, but I feel great.

      The team listened to me very carefully and continued to work hard to increase the car's speed while being creative. This year, it is very important to strive for innovation, and for example, our engineers developed a specially designed exhaust system and an original rear wing, which is now called the "Macarena wing."

      I asked for all of this last year because our team should be a leader in this area – and now Ferrari is showing what we are capable of. There is still a lot of work ahead, and we will not always win. We have to climb a very high and steep mountain to achieve the successes that Mercedes has been achieving since the beginning of the year.

      Question: You already mentioned the negativity that accompanied you last year. But, probably, towards the end of your time with Mercedes, you also experienced something similar. Was it difficult to endure all of this? Of course, you all say that you do not pay attention to it, do not read what is written on social media, shield yourselves from all of this, but did you ever doubt yourself so much that you considered retiring?

      Lewis Hamilton: I am just a human, you know? There are moments when you see all this negativity, and it starts to affect you; it penetrates deep into your soul. But then I decided to take a number of measures to disconnect from all of this.

      Last year, I tried to spend more time with my family, friends, and loved ones who know me well and never doubt me. Then, starting from Christmas, I set myself a goal – I have never trained with such determination to maintain good shape...

      I know that you should never doubt yourself. The main thing is to keep believing in your abilities, and I managed to regain the right psychological mindset, to readjust and become myself again. When you stand on the top of the podium, you feel incredibly joyful emotions. Perhaps tonight I will go to sleep in this very red shirt with the Ferrari logo!..

      Question: Your new Italian racing engineer joined you on the podium – what emotions were you feeling at that moment?

      Lewis Hamilton: It was great that Carlo Santi was there with me. This year he is replacing another specialist, and we had not known each other before, never communicated, and I knew almost nothing about him. But when we met, we immediately got along. I was able to find common ground with the new engineer who replaced the one who was there before – and that’s wonderful!

      I worked for a long time with Bono (Peter Bonnington), who then became Kimi Antonelli's race engineer. But it’s great that Carlo and I can share the joy of success – by the way, he is a very calm person. Perhaps it is not easy for him to express his emotions, although he is very smiley, but now there is a reason to give him a big hug and say thank you.

      Question: Toto Wolff just praised your victory and said that when you feel a chance to win the championship, you show your best qualities, and he does not want you to become the main rival of the Mercedes drivers this year. Has the dream of the eighth title returned to you?

      Lewis Hamilton: To be honest, since the year did not start well, I didn’t even think about it. Of course, we are trying to reach a higher level to have the opportunity to fight for victories, but I always understood that it takes time.

      And Mercedes has had a very fast car since the beginning of the season, capable of great pace, and both drivers of that team are doing an excellent job. We know that we have a less powerful engine, and there are races ahead on tracks with long straights, which makes our task even more difficult.

      But as I said, our car is also good at its core, and if we continue to increase its speed, and we manage to take corners faster, then perhaps we can somewhat reduce the gap even before we get a more powerful engine. But it is very difficult to make long-term predictions right now.

      In my opinion, we need to treat each race separately now, doing weekly planning. This week I will be working at the base in Maranello, we will analyze all the information, communicate with aerodynamics specialists, discuss various aspects related to the planned technical innovations, and estimate what effect they might have. In general, we continue to work hard and enjoy our work.

      

      Question: Frederic Vasseur just said, showing true humility, that he cannot take credit for what you have done with the team over the past year and a half, achieving such positive changes. But it is still interesting to know what role he played along with you in all of this, especially during the most challenging moments that occurred last year?

      Lewis Hamilton: First of all, if it weren't for Fred, I wouldn't be in this team. I am racing for Ferrari thanks to him, for which I am incredibly grateful. I think he had a very tough time last year. When I joined Scuderia, it was a real shock to the entire established system because I always express my opinion openly. If something is done incorrectly, I will do everything I can to fix it. That’s my character, and in this regard, I am very persistent.

      I think a lot of criticism was directed at him, the person responsible for the entire organization, while Ferrari has certain established traditions and culture. He, of course, had to communicate with the press.

      But he continued to believe, we remained good friends, good colleagues, allies, and he really supported me. In the end, he started listening to me when I asked for certain changes. Thanks to Fred, they began to happen, and I will always be grateful to him because without him, nothing would have happened. In general, a huge thank you to him!