Hamilton: Ferrari have every ingredient to win a world championship

40-year-old Hamilton told reporters in a video call from Maranello that he was more hopeful than ever of claiming an unprecedented eighth Formula 1 world championship title with Ferrari.

Hamilton acknowledged he was still acclimatising to his new surroundings at Maranello, the driver staying in his motorhome by the test track to speed up integration, but replied simply "yes" to a question about Ferrari's readiness: "I've worked with two world championship-winning teams before.

"I know what a winning team looks and feels like," added the driver who won his first title with McLaren in 2008 and the rest with Mercedes. "The passion here is like nothing you've ever seen. They've got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship.

"It's just about putting all the pieces together. We've got a great leader in (team boss) Fred (Vasseur) and in (chairman) John (Elkann) and in (chief executive) Benedetto (Vigna). Everyone just has a really calm and good approach," revealed Hamilton.

Their last driver to win the Drivers' World Champion crown for the Reds was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, the year Hamilton made a sensational debut.

The Italians finished runners-up last year to McLaren, who remain favourites for a repeat. Red Bull's Max Verstappen is chasing his fifth title in a row, a feat previously achieved only by Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.

Hamilton's new teammate Charles Leclerc was overall runner-up in 2022. Asked whether he was more hopeful about winning an eighth title, the most successful F1 driver of all time again replied "Yes".

"It's going to be close at the top, but I've got a great teammate. The energy that I'm receiving from the team, there's magic here. It's going to still take a lot of hard work and grafting from absolutely everyone, and everyone's putting that in already to achieve it, but it's also about belief.

"Everyone here dreams of winning with Ferrari, every single person in this team," said Hamilton, who added that if he were to win the elusive championship, to make up for the one that he felt robbed of in 2021, he would not then be retiring.

"If I was fortunate enough to win another title, which is obviously what we're setting out to do, I don't see myself stopping," said Hamilton, who will line up on the grid for the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March for the start of his 19th season in the top fight, aiming for his 106th victory.

The driver of the sister Ferrari, Leclerc told reporters in a separate call that Hamilton's timing was good, while Vasseur said the Briton has brought fresh energy: "I think Lewis is coming into the team at the right time. The fact that Lewis has joined the team has been a big boost and has been amazing in so many ways.

"I feel like the team is very, very calm and very clear in what is the direction to work in and not getting too affected by everything that is going around the team, and that is extremely important," added Leclerc.

Tams, including Ferrari, will now be making their way toward Bahrain where the 2025 F1 preseason takes place at Bahrain International Circuit from 26 to 28 February