Lewis Hamilton Begins Ferrari Preparations By Attempting Something He Hasn’t Done All His Life

As February started, Lewis Hamilton dropped a piece of news no one in F1 was ready for. He announced that he would leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season, bringing an end to their decade longa association. Moving to Ferrari, the British driver will be joining one of the most culturally rich teams in F1. Hence, the question of ‘how much would Hamilton adopt to the culture?’ arises inevitably.

 

In a clip uploaded on X by ‘@44britcedes‘ from the pre-season testing, a journalist asked Hamilton about the same. He asked the 7X world champion if he was already using ‘duolingo’ or was planning to get any Italian language lessons. In response, Hamilton claimed he hasn’t been able to learn any other language so far, but he’ll “definitely try” to learn some Italian.

“In all these years, I’ve not managed to learn any other languages. But, of course, I’ll definitely try. I do remember when I was karting in Italy, and I was able to pick up a few lines. So, hopefully, that’ll come back to me pretty quickly.”

Hamilton‘s move to Ferrari sent shockwaves throughout the F1 realm. It marks the coming together of two of the most successful entities in the sport’s history. Being the most successful team in history, Ferrari has developed an unparalleled legacy. As such, culture also became a critical element for the team.

The Tifosi are amongst the most passionate of fans, making the job of a Ferrari driver even tougher. Given the same, not only will Hamilton have to try and bring glory back to Ferrari, but also become a loved member of the community. Hence, learning their culture will be of utmost importance for the 39-year-old.

Did Lewis Hamilton drop a hint of his Ferrari move long before it happened?

Ever since Hamilton’s move to Ferrari became official there have been certain rumors flying around in the media. Most of them suggest that Hamilton and a few higher authorities in Ferrari knew about the possibility of the switch long before negotiations took place. There were often talks between Hamilton’s camp and Ferrari about bringing the Briton on board, but to no avail. A resurfaced video clip from 2023 gave further reason for people to believe Hamilton knew he’d be going to Ferrari.

A Formula One event right before the Italian Grand Prix saw Hamilton and George Russell interact with the fans. While here, the 103-time race winner tried his best to speak some Italian. Though it wasn’t perfect, Hamilton was able to get to the end of the sentence. Fans cheered along upon hearing Hamilton speaking Italian. Their excitement was already high as Hamilton said, “I need to learn Italian for sure,” before he proceeded with the statement in Italian. Upon seeing the resurfaced video, fans now believe it was a subtle hint from Hamilton on what was to unravel soon.