Hamilton rubbishes claims he's lost faith in Ferrari

Motorsport
By AFP | Apr 03, 2025

 

Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (centre R) celebrates taking pole position with his father Anthony Hamilton (centre L) after the sprint qualifying session of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai on March 21, 2025.  [GREG BAKER, AFP]

Lewis Hamilton said Thursday that suggestions that he had lost faith in Ferrari were "complete rubbish" as he looks to rebound from his ="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=011965659370381653902:7awkdkhs2_y&q=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/counties/article/2001276890/ferrari-leads-way-in-china&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi55MfpwbuMAxV2_bsIHQ0NHJoQFnoECAEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3HEqZkNpRnctTEdbnDhKVV">Chinese Grand Prix disqualification this week in Japan<.

The seven-time world champion has experienced the highs and lows over his first two race weekends with Ferrari, finishing 10th in Australia before taking his maiden victory in Scuderia red at the sprint race in Shanghai.

Hamilton's joy turned to despair the next day as he and teammate Charles Leclerc were both kicked out of the Chinese Grand Prix by stewards for separate technical infringements.

Hamilton told reporters ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka that he "didn't feel any frustration" over the outcome in Shanghai.

"I saw someone said whether I'm losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish," he said.

"I have absolute 100 percent faith in this team."

Expectations had been distorted, added Hamilton, by the "huge amount of hype" surrounding his move from Mercedes to Ferrari.

"I don't know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning a championship in our first year," Hamilton said.

"That wasn't my expectation. I know that I'm coming into a new culture, a new team and it's going to take time."

Hamilton said he was "not surprised" that Red Bull had replaced the underperforming Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the new season, but called the decision "pretty harsh".

="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=011965659370381653902:7awkdkhs2_y&q=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/entertainment/news/article/2001320932/lewis-hamilton-wins-chinese-grand-prix-ahead-of-valtteri-bottas&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiJ4KmOwruMAxW2VkEAHfiFK4wQFnoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1IVvBrwqJ97a-8-6DL46wc">The 40-year-old Hamilton is one of the elder statesmen of F1 "I think there's naturally a lot of pressure on youngsters coming in," said Hamilton.

"There's no way you can get fully on top of a car which is known to be not the easiest car to necessarily drive.

"Just to give him two races was pretty harsh."

Share this story
Junior Starlets and senior team tackle Morocco and Ivory Coast
Junior Starlets and the women’s senior National Team Harambee Starlets will play international friendly matches in Morocco and Ivory Coast today in preparation for the upcoming qualifiers.
The Offside rule in football
The offside rule is one of the most debated and misunderstood regulations in football. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the flow and fairness of the game.
Nsanzuwera wins Sunshine Tour qualifier
Rwandese hard-hitter Celestin Nsanzuwera is the winner of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing Qualifying School whose curtains came down in Naivasha on Thursday.
Abt says golfers should expect tough test in SA
The ten players have punched tickets to the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School Final Stage set for Heron Banks Golf and River Resort in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 8-11, 2025.
Champions Musingu arrive with bags full of surprises
After two years of dominating hockey at the Brookside National Secondary Schools Term One Games, Musingu Boys High School are seeking to extend their reign to three years in a row.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS