Melbourne, March 13 : Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is stepping into a new era of his legendary career as he prepares for his debut race with Scuderia Ferrari at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Speaking ahead of the season opener on the media day, Hamilton described this moment as 'the most exciting period of my life', as he gets set to don the iconic Ferrari red for the first time in a competitive race.

After spending eleven years at Mercedes, Hamilton made the decision to switch to Ferrari, a move that has sent shockwaves through the F1 world. For Hamilton, the transition has been surreal. After years of seeing the red garage from a distance, he now belongs to it.

'I'm very, very fortunate I've had this amazing career in F1. Starting with McLaren here in 2007 was an epic feeling, then starting with a new team again in Mercedes was incredibly special. I think this is very reminiscent probably of my first year," Hamilton told reporters on media day.

"For all those years, I've walked up and down the paddock, looking at the red garage, and now I'm actually in it' It's a really nice feeling," Hamilton said, his excitement unmistakable.

Hamilton's first race weekend with Ferrari comes after an intense winter of adjustments. From adapting to Ferrari's different engineering philosophies to getting used to Maranello's culture, the Briton has embraced every challenge.

"It's a different way of working' the whole team works completely differently. You're looking at things from a different perspective, which makes it exciting and challenging."

"I'm still learning this new car. It's quite different to what I've driven my entire career in terms of Mercedes power. Coming to Ferrari power is something kind of new, and I'm enjoying that challenge."

The weight of expectation on Hamilton is immense. The Briton is following in the footsteps of Ferrari legends - from Michael Schumacher to Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. However, despite the external noise, Hamilton remains focused on his own standards.

"I've not joined this team and been made to feel any pressure. The pressure I put on myself is ten times higher than any other pressure that can be put upon me."

The Scuderia has not won a Drivers' Championship since 2007, and while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz made progress, Hamilton's arrival signals a clear intent to fight for glory once more.

After a short but promising pre-season in Bahrain, Ferrari enters the Australian Grand Prix with cautious optimism. Hamilton, too, is keeping his expectations in check.

"We've only had three days in the car, so it's difficult to know where we stand with everyone else," he admitted. "We've just tried to keep our heads down and focus on our job. It looks like it's going to be close between us all."

/IANS