Martin Brundle has admitted he’s been shocked to see Lewis Hamilton smiling so much ahead of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari star will be hoping to win the first race of the 2025 season as he targets a first title triumph since 2020.
Hamilton agreed to leave Mercedes behind last year after toiling with the Silver Arrows.
He seems to be enjoying life in his new surroundings, however, with the 40-year-old visibly delighted when appearing in red.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton is currently preparing for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix
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And Brundle, speaking to Sky Sports F1, has now admitted that he’s never seen the veteran looking so happy in the paddock.
“As the old adage goes, a change is as good as a rest and the Ferrari move does seem to be working for Lewis,” he said.
“I’ve never seen him smile so much.
“While we’ve seen in the past the likes of Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda return after time out of the sport, Lewis has never had a break from F1 since he started in 2007, but I do think this Ferrari move is the equivalent for him.
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“We’re seeing that just observing him and reading his words. He seems really energised and invigorated by this new opportunity.
“Lewis has been very smart too. Obviously, he knows team boss Fred Vasseur very well from times of old, but he’s had an advance party at Ferrari to integrate as quickly as he can into the team.
“Angela Cullen has returned, while Marc Hynes has been back in the fold for a year or two now already.”
Hamilton has struggled for form ever since missing out on the F1 title to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances back in 2021.
F1 news: Martin Brundle has never seen Lewis Hamilton looking so happy ahead of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix
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However, he’s eager to hit the ground running this term as he looks to move one championship clear of Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton himself, meanwhile, has reflected on his time with the Italian-based side so far.
Speaking recently, he stated: “I didn’t get to do the test at the end of the year, so for me, I started relatively late compared to others that have come before me.
“Like, [when] Sebastian [Vettel] was here, I think he started in November, so he had a good two months.”
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He continued: “For me, it’s been this month period that I’ve had, so a lot has been crammed in that time.
“But personally, I’d like to just jump in the deep end and figure it out, and that’s what we’re doing.
“These guys out there look really, really quick, really competitive. It looks very, very close.
“We won’t know, obviously, until next week exactly where we stand. But, we know that we’ve got work to do, and everyone has their heads down.”
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton is aiming for a dream start to life at Ferrari in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix
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Hamilton’s last victory in Australia came back in 2015.
Carlos Sainz Jr won the race for Ferrari last year, though has since departed to join Williams.