'He's very exceptional' – Ex-Ferrari test driver Marc Gene lauds new recruit Hamilton but warns ‘there's a lot of pressure’ at the Scuderia

Ex-Ferrari test driver Marc Gene has praised Lewis Hamilton's impact on the team after just three Grands Prix, and believes "there's a reason why he won so much" before joining the Scuderia.

Hamilton joined Ferrari for the 2025 campaign having spent 12 seasons with Mercedes, during which time the Briton cemented himself as statistically the greatest driver in the championship's history.

The seven-time World Champion has already tasted victory in the colours of Ferrari after taking pole and victory during the China Sprint, and while it has only been a short amount of time that the 40-year-old has been with the team, he is already proving his credentials, according to Gene.

“It's very early days with Lewis. He won the Sprint in China, which was amazing. I'm just getting to know him, but no one can doubt his talent. He's very experienced and you can really see he knows what he needs," said Ferrari ambassador Gene on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 22: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 — Hamilton tasted victory with Ferrari during the China Sprint

"That's why, from Melbourne to China, he made a huge improvement because coming from another team, it really is not easy. With the current Formula 1 that you cannot test, it's so hard to change teams and to get used to the dynamics, to get used to the steering wheel. That takes time.

"But already in the briefings, when he talks, you can really tell that he's really giving some very important information and then he's very exceptional in tyre management. I look at the telemetry and you see some things that he's very exceptional. I know people say he won so much because he had the best team. Now that I've seen him, there's a reason why he won so much.”

Despite Hamilton's impressive performance during the China Sprint, results elsewhere during the Grands Prix have been more elusive.

He was consigned to just 10th on his Ferrari debut in Australia after tyre strategy issues in wet conditions and was disqualified from sixth in China after his car's plank was found to be below the minimum thickness.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 16: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari — Hamilton could only manage 10th on his Ferrari debut after wrong tyre strategy

Last time out in Japan he could only manage seventh, meaning he has been beaten by team mate Charles Leclerc in the opening three races of the season.

Gene reckons that while Hamilton has the talent and ability to succeed at Ferrari, the unique nature of racing for the historic team means that pressure could become a deciding factor.

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"There's a lot of pressure at Ferrari. There's no other team in the world that you have to cope with so much pressure, but as a driver, he's going to experience things that he never experienced before, probably his debut in Fiorano, to see so many people that they had to close the roads. This at the end of the day is nice," said Gene.

"He has a very good team around him, but I don't think it's difficult for him. We are making sure that he adapts to the Ferrari world very fast. We are very proud at Ferrari that he chose not to retire from Formula 1 without living his dream of being part of the Ferrari family. I think that's part of Ferrari’s DNA. Everybody dreams one day of driving a Ferrari."