‘There is magic here’: Lewis Hamilton bullish on title challenge with Ferrari

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Describing his "magic" new team as having all the ingredients in place to compete.

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“Fair dinkum, this team's already got a pretty wild reputation, they're not short on world titles they've won,” Hamilton said. “It's in their blood, they've got that winning mentality but the competition's going to be as tough as nails. We've had some top-notch results from other teams like McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes. It's going to be a real close-run thing at the top but I've got a top bloke as a teammate.”

“The energy I’m getting from the team, there's something special here. It's gonna take heaps of hard work and effort from every single person, and everyone's putting in that already to achieve it, but it's also about having faith. Every single bloke in this team is dreaming of winning with Ferrari.”

Hamilton's been putting in a lot of time at Ferrari's base in Maranello for the past month, getting to know the team, including meeting and greeting all 1,500 staff members. What he's seen has left him feeling positive, and he was blunt when asked if he thought Ferrari were ready to take out the championship. "Yes, I've worked with two world championship-winning teams before, I know what a winning team looks and feels like," he said.

“The enthusiasm here is like nothing you've ever seen, they've got every ingredient you need to win a world championship and it's just a matter of putting all the pieces into place.”

The team principal along with John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna, the executives from the parent company, said: “We've got a top bloke in Fred and John and Benedetto, so everyone's got a pretty chill and good attitude, no one thinks they're perfect and everyone's keen to lift the bar in every area and we're leaving no stone unturned to give it a fair dinkum crack.”

Vasseur, who's now entering his third season as Ferrari boss and worked with Hamilton when the British driver drove for ART in GP2 back in 2006, had no doubts he'd be a valuable asset. “The speed is there, I'm certain,” the team principal said. “He's not the same bloke, he's 20 years older than when we first worked together. He's changed, he's a lot more mature and a lot more experienced, and he fits in perfectly with the team. It's exactly what I was looking for, for the team, for me, and for Charles. I reckon it's the perfect mix.”

Last season, Ferrari had a ripper of a finish, with a ripper of a car that was as competitive as could be. They finished second in the constructors' championship, a not-too-bad 14 points behind McLaren. With what's been called a thorough overhaul of last year's car, they're tipping to be right in the thick of it from the get-go.

“Fair dinkum, as a team, if we want to do a good job we need two blokes driving us forward,” he said. “We need to have two drivers in a bit of a competition, but a friendly competition that’s driving us to do better. I reckon that’ll be the case.”

The first motor racing event of the season is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 16 March.