Even as he went a full season without a podium, Lewis Hamilton said that Ferrari remained ‘so positive’.
It wasn’t until last month’s Chinese Grand Prix, his 25th race for the team when Hamilton finally secured a top-three finish.
It was the longest wait ever for a new Ferrari driver to reach the podium. In contrast, Charles Leclerc had already notched up eight by this point, while Hamilton was still looking for his first.
Hamilton had managed at least five podiums in every one of his first 18 F1 seasons. Making matters worse, he finished fourth on four occasions during that stretch but never managed to break into the top three across an entire season — something that hadn’t happened since Rubens Barrichello’s time with Jordan back in 1994.
Hamilton grateful for Ferrari’s backing
Speaking to F1TV at the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton expressed his gratitude to Ferrari.
Ferrari didn’t produce a race-winning car last season, but expectations were still high for Hamilton, especially given his salary of over £50m per year.
Hamilton felt the pressure of not delivering results, but the team continued to back him. It wasn’t until this year’s changes in regulations that things really started to shift in his favour.
“The team have been amazing the past year, particularly in the garage,” he said. “The support has been immense.
“Every weekend I fell short last year, you come back, you feel gutted that you’ve often not been able to deliver for the team. They were always like, ‘Next time, next time.’ They’re always just so positive and supportive.”
Jenson Button thinks Hamilton has finally settled in at Ferrari
Before the Japanese Grand Prix, Jenson Button said he thought his former teammate was finally starting to feel settled at Ferrari. After a long spell with Mercedes, Hamilton’s move was always going to require an adjustment period.
It wasn’t just the change of teams either; moving from the familiarity of a German setup to an Italian environment came with its own set of challenges. Even Sebastian Vettel had suggested Hamilton learn Italian before joining, warning him about how different it would be from anything he’d experienced before.
“I think he’s just at home now,” said Button. “Last year was the first year with a new team. He’d been with Mercedes for so many years, and then to move to another team – not just another team, it’s Ferrari, and it’s a different country.
Hamilton may have finished sixth in Japan but is already showing signs of improvement compared to last season. By this point last year, he had only 15 points; this time around, he’s already up to 41.
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