Lewis Hamilton motivated: “I’ve figured out how the car likes to drive”

After a Bahrain Grand Prix weekend that saw Lewis Hamilton recover from a disappointing ninth to securing a fifth-place finish, the seven-time champion has walked away in a state of rejuvenation. It seems as though Hamilton has turned a corner with his Ferrari machinery after a rollercoaster relationship with the SF-25.

This weekend’s qualifying session went as expected, with the former Mercedes driver struggling, placing his car a disappointing 0.931 seconds behind pole-sitter Oscar Piastri despite the upgrades. But starting on medium tyres for the race, he quickly started to dispatch the grid as team-mate Leclerc lost places at the race start.

Finishing in P5 with a congratulatory driver of the day award, Hamilton’s Saturday sadness transformed into new-found motivation. 

Talking with the media following the race, Hamilton discussed his continued adaptation to the car.

“I think what’s clear is—I mean, us as humans, I guess—we’re really stuck in our ways,” he reflected. “I’ve been driving a certain style, in a certain way, with the same team for such a long time.

“I’ve moved to a new car, and it requires such a different driving style and settings. I’m using engine braking, which we never, ever used in my previous years. Much different brakes – I’m on Brembos now, and I’ve been on CIs for the last 15 years or so.”

While the floor modifications didn’t transform his qualifying performance, his pace in the race suggests progress for the Maranello team.

Comparing his approach to his team-mate’s, he explains how he’s still adapting to the changes available on the Ferrari.

“I think what’s clear is that Charles starts with a setup and he stays with it pretty much all weekend,” Hamilton continued. “I was a long way away from him last weekend, and this weekend just before qualifying I got close to him—but then all the settings were all off.

“I’ve got to make it easier for myself. I’m just doing it all the hard way at the moment,” he said.

Despite this, there’s a growing optimism within the driver.

“I think I’ve figured out how the car likes to drive, so hopefully, if I can apply that next week—if I can qualify better—I can have a much better weekend. I know I can, and I will.”

He ended: “If I can qualify better—I can have a much better weekend. So, we’ll see.”