Lewis Hamilton admits 'I was scared' as harsh Ferrari reality blind-sided him

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he didn't know what he was in for when he agreed to join . He had raced only for and before completing his blockbuster switch to the famous Italian team.

And the seven-time champ has found life there tough, with a best Grand Prix finish of just fifth from his first six races. He sits seventh in the championship and has been off the pace set by team-mate .

said on Thursday: "I anticipated it would be very tough, because I've joined a team before. I came in with a really open mind. I didn't know how tough it was going to be. I knew it was going to be challenging. It's as challenging as it could ever be on all fronts."

Hamilton will race in front of the team's passionate but demanding Tifosi fanbase for the first time as a Ferrari driver in Sunday's . But he said: "I won't approach it any differently. I'm excited to see more red.

"I've been here all these years and seen the Tifosi, the amazing support. Even when I was at the factory, there were people at the gates every day. It's pretty incredible, the support that this team has. There's a lot of high hopes and expectation but that comes with greatness – it's a great team.

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"There's a lot when you're inside the team that you didn't know about and everything is kind of a new experience. It's the first time I've been at a European race and seen the trucks. I've seen these hospitality trucks since I started in in 2007 and I've walked past them but never been inside.

"If I'm being honest, I was scared to step inside because I was with another team, so I never made it past the first step. So this is my first time walking around this building. Italians are passionate and there is a lot of passion around Ferrari - a lot more than you expect."

Leclerc was unwell and skipped his media duties on Thursday. Ferrari chiefs said they hoped the Monegasque would be well enough to drive in practice today but reserve Antonio Giovinazzi, who last raced an F1 car in 2021 for , is being prepared just in case.

The locals already have one Italian driver to cheer on with 18-year-old enjoying an impressive start to his F1 career with Mercedes. Born in Bologna, 20 miles north-west of Imola, the teenager beamed as he anticipated an "amazing" experience this weekend.

He said: "This one is my proper home race – I live probably 30 minutes away from the track. It’s a really challenging track, old school, but it’s really good fun to drive here. The weekend is going to be a special one, especially racing in front of all the Italian fans, my family, friends."

McLaren remain the ones to beat, though hasn't won a race since the season opener in Melbourne. Team-mate is on a run of three consecutive victories and leads the championship by 16 points.

"Oscar is doing a good job, yes, but at the end of the day I don't feel like I've been getting the maximum out of myself," said Norris. So even if I was on my own I would still not be happy. So yeah, it's good.

"We push each other every practice, every qualifying, every race. We have a good competition between us. We both acknowledge that we want to beat one another, but I think that's what makes us good team-mates."