Is Hamilton ready to win? - Key questions ahead of Ferrari debut

After more than a year of anticipation, there are just a few days left to wait for Lewis Hamilton's competitive debut in a Ferrari.The seven-time world champion stunned the sporting world by agreeing a move to Ferrari in February 2024 but needed to see out the final year of his Mercedes contract before joining the Italian team.In what was already tipped to be a thrilling season as Formula 1 enters the final year of its current regulations cycle, the sport's most famous driver being at the wheel of its most famous car has pre-season interest at what appears to be an all-time high. The venue for Hamilton's first Ferrari race appearance is the Australian Grand Prix, with Melbourne stepping in to host the season-opener for the first time since 2019 as a result of the Bahrain Grand Prix being pushed back to April because of Ramadan. While the location demands an early wake-up for Hamilton's British fanbase, the incredible fan-friendly atmosphere at Albert Park is sure to create one of the most memorable weekends the sport has seen for a while. Ahead of Hamilton's bow, here is everything you need to know about how we got to this point and what to expect. How Hamilton joined FerrariHamilton had long been linked with a move to Ferrari but time appeared to be running out as the Brit approached his 40s and Ferrari appeared settled with a strong driver line-up of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.However, Hamilton was clearly frustrated after two years - and an impending third - of not having a car capable of allowing him to compete for a record eighth drivers' title, and perhaps also taking note of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's desire to sign his great rival Max Verstappen and bring through teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Slow progress in negotiations between Sainz and Ferrari over a new contract opened a window, and very suddenly on February 1, Sky Sports News' Craig Slater led the international media by confirming Hamilton was joining Ferrari.The result was a slightly awkward 12th and final campaign at Mercedes for Hamilton, which included a stunning victory at the British Grand Prix but also plenty of lows as he was dominated in qualifying by team-mate George Russell.While he ultimately appeared to leave the Silver Arrows on very good terms, Hamilton made it clear in the latter stages of 2024 that he couldn't wait to get to Ferrari.Hamilton's intense testing regimeHamilton had his first official day at Ferrari on Monday January 20, with both team and driver sharing striking imagery of his visit to their Maranello base, where he was greeted by chairman John Elkann, chief executive Benedetto Vigna and team principal Fred Vasseur.A couple of days later Hamilton began a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme designed to familiarise him with the many elements of Ferrari's car and trackside operations that differ to what he had become accustomed to at Mercedes. Despite misty conditions and the test technically being private, hundreds, perhaps thousands of fans showed up to support Hamilton at Ferrari's Fiorano circuit, and he showed his appreciation by venturing out to the edge of the circuit to acknowledge them.Hamilton's next outing was in Barcelona a week later, where he would make headlines after crashing the team's 2023 car, despite no videos or images of the incident or car ever becoming available.He had further outings in Barcelona, first in a Pirelli tyre test in Ferrari's 2024 car and then maxing out his TPC allowance with a further run at the Circuit de Catalunya back in the 2023 model. Hamilton got to drive Ferrari's 2025 challenger - albeit under limitations - for the first time on February 19 at their Fiorano shakedown.Then came official pre-season testing in Bahrain, which appeared to go smoothly for the first two days before a technical issue on the final afternoon prevented Hamilton from doing a race simulation and left a few question marks hanging over Ferrari.What has Hamilton said about Ferrari's 2025 car?Before pre-season testing Hamilton repeatedly explained how exciting and enjoyable he was finding his first weeks at Ferrari, but the most interesting comments he has made came after he drove the SF-25.Speaking in Bahrain after his second day in the car, Hamilton said: "I think it's a bit early to say but I am really enjoying the car. We are slowly bonding I think."So far, I really enjoy driving this car." Hamilton did more interviews on Friday, by which point McLaren's Lando Norris - the early title favourite - had done a strong race simulation that caught the eye of the paddock.While his tone remained positive, Hamilton appeared to accept Ferrari would not necessarily be starting the season on par with the reigning constructors' champions."McLaren did a great run yesterday, and I think also Max did a decent one today, given the temperatures," he said. "It's hard to know what fuel loads everyone is running, as we're all doing our own different programmes, so you have to take ever