Lewis Hamilton feels revitalised by his Ferrari Formula 1 move, which his rivals expect to result in a championship bid if the car is good enough.
Hamilton’s drawn-out goodbye to his long-time employer Mercedes became a major narrative of last season, as he struggled for form at times and the team continued to suffer from volatile performance swings through the year.
Since joining Ferrari in January, though, Hamilton has had renewed enthusiasm - something that came through in abundance at the F1 75 season launch event on Tuesday night in London, where he got audibly the best reception of the night.
When asked on stage for a word to sum up his feeling, Hamilton replied: "The word I'm thinking of is 'invigorated' because I feel so full of life, and so much energy, because everything's new.
"And just focused on what's up ahead, I’m so proud to be part of the team, something new and exciting for me."
It was consistent with everything we have heard from Hamilton so far in his early weeks at Ferrari and, while Hamilton said no more than the above lines on stage at F1 75, the messaging carried a similar tone in interviews released as part of Ferrari's car launch package.
Hamilton has described being part of Ferrari as "very surreal" as he "didn't honestly think I would ever get the chance to be here", and said he has tried to approach his days at Maranello "with a real open mind".
"I'm learning a lot every day," said Hamilton. "I knew that I needed something new. I knew I needed this new challenge.
"I think when I got here, I realised just how much I needed it and how great it's felt.
"I'm literally walking around with such a big smile on my face every day I come to work, it's very...revitalising."
Hamilton is known to be optimistic that the vastly different Ferrari mechanical package and car characteristics means his struggles at Mercedes will not carry over to his 2025 car, which he will drive for the first time on Wednesday in a shakedown at Fiorano, Ferrari's test facility next to its Maranello headquarters.
However, he is also realistic that "we have such a steep learning curve" - learning a new team, environment, way of working, car traits, engine characteristics and so on - and that side of things is "very much" as tough as he anticipated.
But after his ultra-successful Mercedes stint ended on such a low ebb, Hamilton's re-energised stance has been noted by rivals as well.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner tipped Hamilton to be a championship threat if he translates the off-track buzz into the season itself.
"If he gets off to a good start, and he gets the team behind him and he finds his confidence, he rides off that energy, then I can see him becoming a real contender in this championship," said Horner.
"So much will depend on how he gels with the team in that early part of the season.
"We all know what Lewis is capable of and if he's re-energised in a different environment, absolutely I think he could be a real factor this year."
This was echoed by Horner's driver Max Verstappen, Hamilton's fierce competitor from 2021.
"We all know how good Lewis is," said the four-time world champion.
"There's no debate on that, right? It all depends on the car."
Meanwhile, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, whose team narrowly beat Ferrari to the constructors' title last year, said he is "definitely anticipating Lewis being a championship contender".
Hamilton is also set to speak later on Wednesday, around the shakedown of the new car.
