Hamilton: 'I need a little magic and a little rain this weekend'

Hamilton said he disagreed with the decision to pit him in the Austrian GP and that he had open talks with Ferrari about strategy communication after the incident: "I'm not racing to start fourth and finish fourth. I want to make a difference. We could have gone to a different strategy, like medium-medium-hard."

"I wouldn't want to be on the same strategy as my teammate Charles."

Hamilton, who also touched on the subject of car development in preparation for the new season, said Ferrari's current car still has issues but is moving closer to Charles Leclerc's setup: "There are still things in this year's car that I'm having trouble getting used to."

"I want my driving characteristics to be present in next year's car. We are working on this with Loic (Sergent) and all the engineers at the factory," he said.

When asked about Max Verstappen's potential move to Mercedes, Hamilton was clear: "If anyone asks me, I would definitely recommend Mercedes. They are a great team. They have a great factory, great staff and great passion."

He also expressed regret over his comments years ago about Red Bull being “just a beverage company.”

Hamilton, who is also a producer on the F1-themed film, stated that the project received great interest but that he was not keen on the idea of ​​a sequel immediately: “The film has just finished. Making a second film right away would be the biggest mistake. Instead, let's do a debrief like in F1. Let's evaluate what we did well, what we could have done better.”

Hamilton, who expressed his hope that the weather conditions will be in his favour for the Silverstone weekend, said: “Silverstone is always a special race. I need a bit of magic and a bit of rain this weekend because McLaren is very fast against us in the dry.”

Hamilton, who will be at Silverstone for the first time with Ferrari, said: "It will definitely be a special moment to go out here in the red car. The fans are amazing. This support can make a difference."