Lewis Hamilton went to never-before-seen lengths in pre-season to prepare for Ferrari drive

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Lewis Hamilton highlighted how desperately he needed the Formula 1 summer break at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

For the first time since joining Ferrari from Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton failed to score a point across a race weekend at the Hungaroring.

On paper, starting 12th and finishing 12th is a tough look for the 40-year-old, although that doesn’t tell the full story.

Hamilton was only marginally slower than teammate Charles Leclerc in Q2, but that was the difference between progressing to the top 10 shootout and watching from the media pen.

The seven-time world champion was telling journalists that Ferrari should consider changing drivers while Leclerc secured what he described as the most unlikely pole position of his Formula 1 career.

Ferrari’s instruction to Hamilton to start lifting and coasting within the first few laps of the race was always going to make progress difficult, particularly as it quickly became clear he was on the wrong strategy.

By the time the seven-time world champion spoke to the media again, Hamilton was having to say how much he still loves racing, such was the shift in his mood from just a few weeks ago.

The summer break has arrived at the perfect time for Hamilton after 14 gruelling races, where the work he did before the season started provided the perfect preparation for what’s been a much more difficult campaign than expected.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton went to extreme lengths in pre-season to prepare for Ferrari move

Before the campaign even started, Hamilton was spending hours upon hours at Ferrari’s base at Maranello to get up to speed with his new team.

He knew he had thousands of new team members to meet and get to know, and a host of new procedures and processes to learn in the meantime.

Hamilton has also been getting used to Ferrari’s car, which drives very differently from his old Mercedes, particularly when it comes to engine braking.

A report from The Times has shared what the 40-year-old was doing before he even started working with the Scuderia to prepare for another 24-race weekend campaign.

During Hamilton’s winter training camp, ‘sources’ close to the driver suggest that he began his preparations earlier than ever before.

Not only that, but part of his training involves climbing a mountain in Finland, and he trekked further than he normally would, something he uses each year as a ‘reference point’.

Hamilton understood how much extra work would be needed to give himself a chance of succeeding at Ferrari.

Although things haven’t gone to plan on the track, he can’t be accused of not doing the work away from it to make it happen.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Lewis Hamilton had to deal with early comparisons to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari

It’s understandable that when Hamilton first started working with Ferrari, people were going to compare him to Michael Schumacher.

They’re the only two drivers with seven world champions, although Schumacher earned five of his with the Scuderia, while Hamilton already arrives with those accolades.

Hamilton’s attempts to speak Italian early on in his time at Ferrari’s Maranello base are in contrast to how long it took Schumacher to learn the language.

Not only that, but Hamilton began living at Ferrari’s factory in his motorhome so that he didn’t need to worry about commuting during the off-season when every hour was critical.

It took Schumacher years to build Ferrari into a title-winning entity, and once they started winning, they were nearly impossible to stop.

Hamilton will hope he can have the same effect; however, he doesn’t have time on his side unless he hopes to emulate Fernando Alonso’s longevity.