Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Mercedes engineers took "painful" revenge on him during a team paintballing session after he announced his departure to Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion made the decision to switch to the Italian team in February 2024, setting up a lengthy transition period.
Despite the playful retribution from his former colleagues, Hamilton has been working intensively to adapt to his new team.
The 40-year-old Brit has expressed positive feelings about the move following a challenging three-year spell at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton got torn to shreds during a paintballing session with Mercedes staffers
Reuters
Speaking to TIME Magazine about the separation, Hamilton explained how his colleagues targeted him during the paintball outing.
"They lit me up hard," he said. "It was so painful."
Even a member of his own team hit the world champion at one point.
Despite this, Hamilton maintains there is no ill feeling towards Mercedes.
"There is no bad blood. Absolutely not. We won so many championships," he continued.
He also believes his former team will "win more World Championships" in the future.
Hamilton has been on a steep learning curve since joining Ferrari, having only ever worked with Mercedes power units throughout his career.
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The Brit completed an aggressive private testing scheme during the off-season.
During pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, he has been working from early morning until late evening.
Hamilton even posted the fastest time of the Thursday morning session.
"I still feel that there's still quite a bit to come," he confessed on Friday.
Hamilton has expressed a renewed sense of optimism about his Ferrari experience.
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Lewis Hamilton made the decision to leave Mercedes last February - nearly 12 months before his official start date for Ferrari
Reuters
"I would say this is the most positive feeling that I've had in a long time," the seven-time world champion said in Bahrain.
This comes after what he described as a "tough three-year spell at Mercedes."
Hamilton acknowledged that predicting performance has become more difficult in recent years.
"I think probably the last four years or so, I've learned that you really can't judge from too much from the first outlook," he explained.
Hamilton explained his accelerated adaptation process compared to other drivers who have made similar moves.
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Lewis Hamilton has admitted to learning a lot since joining up with Ferrari
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"For me, I started relatively late compared to others that have come before me," he noted.
Despite the compressed timeframe, Hamilton remains optimistic about his progress.
"A lot has been crammed in, in that time. But I personally like to just jump in the deep end and figure it out," he said.
"We're going through the processes, and I feel like in this period of time, we've built a really good foundation."
