Hamilton says Ferrari are ready to win F1 title and so can he

Lewis Hamilton drove his new Ferrari Formula One car for the first time on Wednesday and said the team had everything they needed to win the championship and were ready to do so.

The 40-year-old Briton told reporters in a video call from Maranello that he was more hopeful than ever of claiming his eighth title.

Hamilton acknowledged he was still acclimatising to his new surroundings, the driver staying in his motorhome by the test track to speed up integration, but replied simply "yes" to a question about Ferrari's readiness.

"I've worked with two world championship winning teams before. I know what a winning team looks and feels like," added the driver who won his first title with McLaren in 2008 and the rest with Mercedes.

"The passion here is like nothing you've ever seen. They've got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship.

"It's just about putting all the pieces together. We've got a great leader in (team boss) Fred (Vasseur) and in (chairman) John (Elkann) and in (chief executive) Benedetto (Vigna).

"Everyone just has a really calm and good approach."

Ferrari last won a title in 2008, the constructors' championship. Their last driver to win an individual crown was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, the year Hamilton made a sensational debut.

The Italians finished runners-up last year to McLaren, who remain favourites for a repeat. Red Bull's Max Verstappen is chasing his fifth title in a row, a feat previously achieved only by Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.

Hamilton's new teammate Charles Leclerc was overall runner-up in 2022.

Asked whether he was more hopeful about winning an eighth title, the most successful F1 driver of all time again replied "Yes".

"It's going to be close at the top, but I've got a great