Lewis Hamilton is steadfast in his decision to join Ferrari next year, even as Mercedes shows signs of improvement.

After enduring a consistent downturn under the 'ground effect' rules since 2022, the seven-time world champion praised his current team's significant progress at the recent Barcelona race.

"Finally we're starting to see those incremental steps moving closer to the guys ahead," he noted.

"We've made huge steps forwards. Slowly, the car is crafting into a racing machine that we can hopefully fight the guys at the front," Hamilton added.

Just a few weeks ago, he seemed less optimistic, predicting difficulties in outperforming his teammate George Russell for the rest of the season, which fueled rumors of internal team conflict and even sabotage.

Recently, however, Hamilton managed to secure a top 3 finish in both qualifying and the Spanish GP, trailing behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren), while his future team, Ferrari, experiences a clear dip in form.

"We have to make a few steps forward now compared to McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes," admitted Charles Leclerc, Hamilton's future teammate at Ferrari.

"We must not let ourselves be blinded by (victory in) Monaco," Leclerc emphasized.

During the race, Hamilton impressively overtook Carlos Sainz, whom he will replace at Ferrari, twice.

Nevertheless, Hamilton remains confident about his upcoming stint with the Italian team.

"My job will start next year at the other team who I think are doing a great job," Hamilton declared. "I think they've had a couple of difficult races, but let's not forget they had a race win in Monaco."

"I can't tell you what's wrong with their car and why they are in the position they're in, but they brought an upgrade (to Barcelona) and I think they are definitely progressing. So yeah, it doesn't make me second guess my decision at all," he confirmed.

Meanwhile, there are reports from the Italian media suggesting that Ferrari's technical director, Enrico Cardile, might be moving to Aston Martin.

Despite these changes, team boss Frederic Vasseur is enthusiastic about pairing Hamilton with the 26-year-old Leclerc from 2025.

"Lewis is coming with all his achievements, his experience of winning seven world championships, all his time with Mercedes," Vasseur told DAZN in Barcelona.

"I'm convinced he's going to be ultra-motivated for this challenge, and so is Charles. I think it's going to be very beneficial for Charles," he added.

"He will learn from Lewis' experience like a sponge." body check tags ::