Hamilton woes continue with ‘alien’ Ferrari verdict

Lewis Hamilton has likened his Ferrari to an "alien" whilst comparing the SF-25 to the Mercedes F1 cars he has become accustomed to racing.

The seven-time drivers' champion has endured a difficult start to life at the Italian team, despite winning the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Apart from that triumph, the 40-year-old has just one top five finish across the opening four rounds, that result coming in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

After the race in Sakhir, the Briton explained why he has found getting to grips with the Ferrari so difficult, detailing how is he having to change to suit the characteristics of the red car.

"It just feels so alien," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. "It really does feel so alien. Sometimes I think we all get stuck in our ways, and very stuck, like, no, I need to keep driving the way I've been driving. 

"Just make the car come to me. But that's not working. So I am adjusting myself now to the car, and also the way with the tools that they use it just drives so much different. 

"With all the ECU controls that we use, I have to use them a lot differently to what I had last [at Mercedes]."

A step in the right direction

However, Hamilton left the Bahrain International Circuit feeling more upbeat about things, insisting he is becoming more in tune with his Ferrari.

Having qualified ninth, the Italian squad utilised the offset strategy to vault Hamilton up to fifth, ultimately finishing just one position behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

After the team introduced a new floor this weekend, he was keen to point out the improvements to the balance of his car.

"Yeah, much more positive, the middle stint I really felt realigned with the car," the 105-time grand prix winner said.

"The balance finally was in a good spot, and my driving style seemed to be working in that moment. 

"So learned a lot from today and this weekend, actually a lot, probably more than all the other weekends."