Positioning in Ferrari cockpit details emerge about “positive” Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has “no complaints” about his new Ferrari F1 car, it has been claimed.

The seven-time world champion is gearing up for his first full season with Ferrari after completing a blockbuster switch from Mercedes after 12 years with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton will make his eagerly-anticipated race bow with F1’s most famous and iconic team at next weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

There is huge intrigue surrounding how Hamilton will perform with Ferrari and whether he can challenge for a record-breaking eighth world title this year, following a difficult final few seasons with Mercedes.

Hamilton has undertaken an extensive testing programme in recent Ferrari cars to help him get up to speed with his new team and make necessary changes to suit his driving style and preferences.

According to Sky Sports F1’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz, Hamilton has made encouraging progress with his adaptation to the team and his new car.

"There are some very positive signs that Hamilton is enjoying the way the Ferrari drives more than the Mercedes," Kravitz said on the Sky Sports F1 show.

"I think he has got what he wanted in terms of driver positioning within the cockpit. There are no complaints on any side.

“Crucially, he has identified that the designers and the team behind him are up to championship quality and he recognises that he has everything he needs in the team to develop the car and out-develop his rivals to try and win this year's championship.

"So even if the Ferrari isn't winning races at the start of the season, Lewis Hamilton is sure that they will be able to win races and catch up with whoever the pacesetter is.”

What has Hamilton said about his Ferrari?

Speaking during pre-season testing in Bahrain, Hamilton said he was “slowly bonding” with Ferrari’s 2025 challenger.

The 40-year-old Briton had one-and-a-half days behind the wheel of the SF-25 as he got crucial time to gel with his new machinery for the upcoming campaign.

"I think it's a bit early to say but I am really enjoying the car. We are slowly bonding I think,” he said. "So far, I really enjoy driving this car.

“At the moment, there's still room to explore more, and I'm just, bit by bit, eking out a little bit more each time.

“All the settings are so different. So even just brake bias and all those sorts of things, it's much different to what I had in the previous place.

“It’s not necessarily unlearning what I did before, but kind of relearning this new way of working and where the car likes to be driven.

“It likes to be driven differently. And that's a really fun journey learning that. But at the moment, it feels that we definitely feel the car underneath me. I feel that the car is responding to my inputs. There's still more work to do.”