The much talked about move of Lewis Hamilton to the storied Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season has not set any river on fire. The 7-time F1 world champion has faced significant challenges in adapting to his new team and car.

In his debut for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, he finished a lowly 10th, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc. The team's strategy missteps, including a poor call to stay out on dry tyres in wet conditions, compounded the issues. 

The Chinese Grand Prix last week started on a promising note for Hamilton, as he secured his first pole position for Ferrari and won the sprint race. But things didn't go his way in the race ---  he finished sixth in the main event and, worse, was later disqualified due to excessive plank wear on his car. This disqualification, coupled with Leclerc's car being found underweight, marked a double setback for Ferrari.

Ferrari's inability to provide a competitive car has left Hamilton frustrated. That is understandable. But rumours also swirled around that he had lost his faith with his new team.  Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins had raised concerns about potential trust issues between Hamilton and Ferrari.

However, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, Hamilton told news reporters that he didn't feel any frustration over the outcome in Shanghai.

"I saw someone say whether I'm losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish," he was quoted as saying.

"I have absolute 100 percent faith in this team," he said and added: "I don't know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning a championship in our first year," Hamilton said.

The 40-year-old Hamilton, ever the realist, said he understood that he had come  into a new culture, a new team and it's going to take time to get going.

Ferrari currently sits fifth in the constructors' championship, marking their worst start to a season since 2009. They are already 61 points behind reigning champions McLaren.