Lewis Hamilton issues eighth world championship verdict after Ferrari shakedown

Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his prospects of adding an elusive eighth Formula 1 world title to his collection now that he has joined Ferrari.

The British icon stunned the sporting world just weeks before the start of last season after announcing he would be signing with the Italian giants from 2025.

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Excitement is reaching fever pitch ahead of his racing debut with his new team, with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16 fast approaching.

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Hamilton out to take Verstappen's throne

Since his last championship triumph in 2020, the 40-year-old has been replaced by Max Verstappen as the sport's dominant force, with the Dutchman reeling off four titles in succession.

During his final years at Mercedes, Hamilton became increasingly frustrated at his fall down the pecking order, prompting him to team up with one of his major rivals.

He will hope a change of scenery can help spark a change in fortunes, and hasn't been shy in sharing his excitement ahead of this new challenge since being unveiled at Ferrari's headquarters last month.

Hamilton was in attendance at the inaugural all-team launch in London on Tuesday as every squad unveiled their liveries for the upcoming campaign, before heading back to Italy to get behind the wheel of the SF-25 for the first time the following afternoon.

The sporting legend was spotted on track at Fiorano as he put the car through its paces ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain, which gets underway on February 26.

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Asked by Sky Sports F1 whether he is more hopeful than ever of claiming an eighth title, Hamilton replied: "Yes. But I'm also aware there's a lot of drivers that never ever get to win a world championship, first and foremost.

"I've been fortunate to work in two teams previously, work with great organisations, and you've seen in the history of the sport where you've got great teams and things don't align and they end up, some of them, not winning the world championships.

"But this team already has an insane legacy and they're not short of how many world championships they've won. So, I think in their DNA, they have that winning mentality.

"It's going to be close up the top. But I've got a great team-mate. The energy that I'm receiving from the team, there's magic here."

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