Lewis Hamilton has pointed to Sebastian Vettel being able to test for Ferrari earlier than he did as one advantage the German had in preparation for their first race with the Scuderia. After leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2014 season, although he did not take part in the post-season Abu Dhabi test, Vettel did join the Ferrari garage, before undertaking extensive testing in a 2012-spec car at Fiorano in November and December of that year. In Hamilton's case, he remained a Mercedes driver until the expiration of his contract on 31st December 2024, and was thus not allowed any early testing time with Ferrari - making his bow at Fiorano in mid-January. As he prepares for his first race with the Scuderia in Australia, Hamilton felt the extra preparation time the four-time world champion Vettel had enjoyed was a benefit he has not had. "I still feel there is plenty to come, and fortunately, I've got to drive the 2023 car, so I have been able to compare the 2024 car to see where they've progressed the problems they had on those two cars, and how they've improved into this one," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. "I did not get to do the test at the end of the year, so I started comparatively late compared to others before me, like when Sebastian was here, I think he started in the November, so he had a good two months. "As where for me, it's been this month period that I've had, so a lot has been crammed into that time, but personally, I like to jump in at the deep end and figure it out. "We're going through the processes and I feel like we've built a really good foundation, but we won't know obviously until next week truly, exactly where we stand, but we know that we've got work to do. "I've been really inspired by just how focused everybody is and how hard everyone is working, and getting to know everyone in the garage, like the night-shift crew and their processes and how they like to work. It just takes time."
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