“This is him!”
Lewis Hamilton could not hide his excitement when he walked among the street cars in the ‘heritage section’ of Ferrari’s head office in Maranello, Italy.
When he saw a bright red Ferrari F40 in the middle of the floor, one of the rarest street cars in the manufacturer, he stopped. As he spread his hands over the rear spoiler, a smile appeared on his face. He had found his favorite.
It was this kind of wonder where Hamilton, a seven -time world champion who saw and won everything in Formula 1, looked for when he decided to move to Ferrari. Despite all the success he enjoyed at Mercedes, nothing could match the history and magic of the most iconic team of F1.
The moment he had dreamed of becoming Ferrari driver since his youth had finally arrived.
For Hamilton, the first day in Maranello was in the making for almost a year. Since he announced his shocking decision to leave Mercedes after twelve seasons, he has passed a difficult and, in his own words, sometimes difficult for the last year. Closing that chapter in Abu Dhabi was perhaps emotional, but Hamilton knew it made room for something new and exciting.
To mark the start of this era, in which the most successful driver and the most successful team of F1 were united, every detail had to be meticulously planned. Ferrari F1 team boss Fred Vasseur was cautious about holding a large presentation or media event, because he did not want to add extra work or distraction to the team during the preparations for the new season.
But it had to make Hamilton’s first week in Maranello unforgettable.
The F40, housed in the ‘old’ side of the Ferrari factory – the head office is divided into the historic part of the factory, standing out by the yellow buildings and walls, and the ‘new’ side that is red – was made by the Italian drizzle drove to the factory. The Piazza Michael Schumacher, named after the Great who won five of his seven F1 titles for Ferrari. It then stands the house of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the legendary manufacturer who had seen many legends sampling from the window. The history is wherever you go in Maranello.
Hamilton had a meeting with Vasseur and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna before posing for photos outside the house next to the F40. Even Hamilton’s outfit for that day was carefully planned by his stylist, Eric McNeal, up to his Louboutin boots with red soles. The first official photos of Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari F1 driver, went viral quickly and became the most loved photo on the F1 Instagram page in less than 24 hours, and decorated all the front pages of the Italian sports newspapers the next morning.
Hamilton’s arrival photo went viral and made the headlines all over the world – especially in Italy. (Clive Rose / Getty Images)
Hamilton also made time to visit the fans, Ferrari’s loyal Tifosi, who had gathered outside the factory gates of Maranello since the early morning hours, desperately looking for a glimpse of their new hero on his first day.
While he worked at McLaren and Mercedes, Hamilton has built up a strong bond with his fans (known as ‘Team LH’) and he wants to breathe new life into that kind of relationship at Ferrari.
“I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m really looking forward to get in touch with that community,” said Hamilton during a press conference last August. Taking a few minutes to pose with fans for photos and to hand out signatures while scanding his name was a good first gesture. It created a bystander of Ferrari President John Elkann, one of the most important brokers in contracting Hamilton and perhaps the most powerful figure at Ferrari.
There is a lot resting at 2025 for both Ferrari and Hamilton. Ferrari missed his first constructors’ championship since 2008 with only 14 points, while Hamilton is still looking for a record -breaking eighth world title. His struggle with the Mercedes car up to and including 2024 provided a season in which he was left with teammate George Russell. Shaking himself from that funk and proving that he still has the advantage that he once made it almost impossible to beat at the height of his powers in F1 is a crucial part of this step.
It made Hamilton’s time to get to know his new colleagues through a factory tour and subsequent meetings on Monday and Tuesday of crucial importance. Hamilton always put strength from the close relationship with his teammates at Mercedes, especially with his racing engineer Peter Bonnington, whom he compared with a brother. That role will be taken over by Riccardo Adami, who was the engineer of Carlos Sainz (the Spaniard affectionately called Adami ‘Ricky’) and four -time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and will now be the voice at the end of the radio. Hamilton by races.
Hamilton is preparing for his first test on Fiorano. (Ferrari)
Ferrari planned Hamilton’s first performance on the circuit behind the wheel of his car from 2023 for Wednesday on his private test track, Fiorano, which borders the factory. But it was always weather dependent, making it difficult to predict in the depths of January in northern Italy.
Preparations up to and including Monday and Tuesday include the fitting of the seats and trying out Ferrari’s simulator, giving Hamilton the opportunity to feel, at least virtually, how his new car would perform. One of his biggest problems in 2024 was that he felt confident and balanced with the car,, ” Especially during braking with his late, aggressive style. Hamilton often failed to get the most out of the car in one round. The simulator will at least have given a first impression of what he can expect from the Ferrari this year, even though nothing can be compared to the real work.
Hamilton’s new racing helmet design for this year returns to the yellow that he used as a child in the go -karts, so that his father, Anthony, could easily see him on the track. Recordings of the helmet and from Hamilton who posed for the first time in the classic red Ferrari racing suit were shared with the world, creating the excitement before he first started on the circuit. The only thing needed was that it played a role again.
Driving with a two-year-old F1 car on a foggy, cold day around a short test circuit may not have the characteristics of a special moment, but for Hamilton this was a day he had dreamed of since he played in video games as Michael Schumacher. As a teenager, he wondered what it would be like to be in the cockpit of the red car.
Just as it was for Schumacher at Fiorano at the end of 1995, prior to his switch to Ferrari for the following season, Hamilton’s first performance was both modest and moving. After he had put on his new red racing suit in Enzo Ferrari’s house, Hamilton walked to the simple garage next to the track, no larger than the forecourt of a gas station (and so branded, thanks to team partner Shell) and was greeted by his team. While the engineers thorn the processes, Hamilton scribbled things that he had to remember in a small notebook.
The crew of Hamilton and Ferrari started this week (Ferrari)
There were a number of new faces in Ferrari equipment that Hamilton could get to know, but a few watched with extra affection, including father Anthony. Vasseur had worked with Hamilton in the junior categories and they always remained friendly, which cleared the way for their reunion almost twenty years later. Jerome d’Ambrosio, the deputy team boss, and Loic Serra, the technical director of the chassis, both worked at Mercedes when Hamilton was there.
But perhaps the most essential and surprising returner was Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s former trainer and performance coach.
Hamilton and Cullen worked together for seven years before they suddenly split only two races in the 2023 season. Cullen was an important part of Hamilton’s inner circle, supervised his physical preparations and helped him prior to the races. Last year she worked in the Indycar, but is now back at Hamilton’s team after she has signed with Project 44, his management company that represents his business interests. Her return is important for Hamilton, who will draw comfort from some familiarity during the large adjustment that is accompanied by accession to a new team.
At 9.16 am Hamilton left the garage and went on the track. He was finally a Ferrari F1 driver. Fans and TV cameras had gathered at a few viewpoints with a view of Fiorano to catch a glimpse of the famous #44 on the Ferrari, including one on a bridge next to a busy road. No length is too big for the Tifosi.
Testing an old car would not have yielded Hamilton much in terms of accurate measurements of how the new season could proceed, but it certainly offered the chance to adapt to the way of working of Ferrari. The car SF-23, the only non-Red Bull winner of 2023, offered a first insight into the power output of the Ferrari engine and the functions of the steering wheel, both of which will differ from what he was used to at Mercedes.
Hamilton drove only 30 laps during a handful of runs in the morning, completed an installation run on wet tires before switching to slicks, and there were images of him that got stuck on points, but it was never about outright speed or performance. The drivers can perform private tests throughout the year in old cars of 1,000 km, which means that Hamilton’s run of 89 km, followed by the 42 km of teammate Charles Leclerc in the afternoon, leaves enough space for more in the run -up to the new season . In the coming weeks Hamilton will be planned for an outing in Barcelona, before he first drives in the 2025 car in Fiorano on 19 February, one day after the launch of the F1 season in The O2 in London.
Neither the limited running nor the weather could prevent his Ferrari debut to quote Hamilton, “one of the best feelings of my life”.
When his run was completed, he was taken into a black Alfa Romeo street car to get out and wave to the dozens of fans who stood behind one of the fences. His mother, Carmen, was taking pictures with her phone. When she first saw her son in Ferrari-Rood, she drank the moment. Hamilton couldn’t resist smiling at the songs of: “Olé!, Olé, Olé, Olé! Lewis, Lewis! ” Who greeted him. The Tifosi are already enthusiastic about Hamilton and immediately become their new hero.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi,” said Hamilton. “To witness it with his own eyes as a Ferrari driver was awesome. That passion flows through their veins and you can’t help but get energy from it. “
Ferrari perfectly balanced, making Hamilton’s arrival a ‘moment’ without affecting the focus, which must be on his performance. It knows how important this year will be after a 2024 season that history will go into a near accident, but also as a large wave of momentum that fueled hope exactly at the right time. Although there were public winks to the new start this week, the work and the adjustment behind the scenes were what really mattered for Hamilton.
It is a week that will have fueled a lot of Hamilton’s love and passion for F1. No matter how dedicated he was on the Mercedes project, even in the most difficult times, the difficulties on the circuit caused the flame to be.
This change to a new, ambitious project, a project that bears the weight of an expectant fan base, the sporting pride of a country and the history of those who were previously successful in Ferrari Red is exactly what Hamilton needed.
Now it is about working hard to make the adjustment run as smoothly as possible before his full debut in Australia really starts his Ferrari era on 16 March.
Top photo: Clive Rose, Alessandro Bremec via Getty Images; Design: Will Tullos/Athletics