Lewis Hamilton believes Bahrain Grampurin was the most learned weekend ever at Ferrari, and he realizes that it coincides with how the car wants to be driven.
Ferrari went on a solid outing in Bahrain and secured fourth place courtesy of Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton coming in even first place. Hamilton was back in the field further in the opening phase, but said that as the race unfolded, how he learned how to get more performance from the car was a particularly encouraging sign.
“I’m more positive,” Hamilton said. “The stint in the middle really felt like it was really… really in line with the car. I learned a lot from today because I finally felt the balance was there and at that moment my driving style seemed to work.
Hamilton acknowledged that finding ways to make the most of a new car with different hardware at Mercedes in 12 years is a key challenge.
“It feels so alien. I think sometimes we all get stuck in our way. I was very stuck, and I think we need to keep driving the way we drive.
“And just the little tools they use, it drives very differently. With all the ECU controls we use, it’s very different from what I was used to.
“One example is that I’ve never used engine braking before. I’ve never used engine braking in the last 12 years. This year I’ve used a lot of engine braking to turn my car.
“The brakes are very different from what I’ve had in the past. They’re moving a little more. Like the last stint, I had to use the rear to turn the car.
And Hamilton also learns from his teammate Leclerc and says he saw that he tended to stick to certain setup directions throughout the race weekend.
“The key is to go back and try and get back every weekend, which is just as clear as that. The car really needs a different driving style.
“Setup has also come a long way from Charles over the past two weekends, then slowly moves towards him. So I hope that if I start the weekend and apply the techniques I learned this weekend, it will improve.”