Lewis Hamilton has promised it will be a "rollercoaster" ride after leaving his comfort zone to join Ferrari. (More Motorsports News)
ܫThe seven-time world champion made the switch from Mercedes, where he spent 11 years, to Ferrari for the upcoming 2025 season.
💮Hamilton won the most recent of his crowns in 2020 and finished seventh in the drivers' standings last year.
🌠Ferrari, meanwhile, have not had a champion since 2007, but Hamilton is aiming to end both waits in the latest chapter of his career.
꧅"The step I've taken, I knew it was a massive challenge. That's exciting," Hamilton told ESPN's SportsCenter. "I'm getting out of my comfort zone.
ꦬ"I was comfortable where I was. I'd been there for many years, knew the environment, knew when and when I couldn't turn up.
𓂃"I knew how everything worked. I'm coming into this new space and it's so, so different. It's a different culture, a different language.
🌜"And it is a massive challenge but I love the challenge, I always have, even since I was a kid. That's what spurs me on."
ꦓHamilton is set to make his much-anticipated debut for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.
𝕴The 40-year-old has signed a multi-year deal with F1's most successful team and accepts it might take a bit of time before he hits full flow.
𝄹"I'm conscious that everything doesn't have to happen in the first day or the first month," he said.
🤡"I'm here for more than a year and we're going to go on this rollercoaster journey together.
🧸"It's going to be a rollercoaster ride, but a really fun one. And we're going to make it great."
♔Juan Manuel Fangio, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso all won on their debuts for Ferrari.
☂Hamilton claimed just a single race win in his maiden campaign with Mercedes, though, and is aware of the challenges ahead.
🍎"The biggest challenge is getting ready," he said. "I remember in my previous team I joined, it wasn't until six months until I won my first race.
🗹"It takes time to build relationships, to build trust with everybody, to understand how an organisation works, how people are tuned to work.
🌳"I would say that's the biggest challenge is how can I blend in with this team? How can I merge with everyone here?"
