FORMULA 1
The driver did his first test with an Italian team car this Wednesday morning (22)
Published on January 22, 2025 at 4:43 pm
Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari Credit: Reproduction I Instagram
For the “first time in red”, as he himself said, Lewis Hamilton will make his debut for Ferrari, the new team he will defend in Formula 1. This Wednesday (22), the driver drove a car from the Italian team for the first time, to the “first taste of what it’s like to be a Ferrari F1 driver”, according to the team itself at X.
The Fiorano track, close to Ferrari’s headquarters, hosted Hamilton’s test, along with several fans who arrived in the early hours of the morning to secure a place on a track without stands, which welcomes fans on the fence, to watch the new driver. There was also an additional challenge, imposed by the cold that ranged from 5 to 7 degrees combined with rain and fog, especially on the first lap of the circuit.
But nothing would be enough of an obstacle: the city of Maranello, where the test took place, needed help from surrounding cities to accommodate the high number of visitors, organize traffic and ensure that safety was maintained. Even fans who were not in Italy experienced Hamilton’s arrival in the team in a special way, especially on social media.
The announcement photo of the driver as a ferrarista soon became the most liked Formula 1 photo in the history of Instagram, with more than 5 million likes in less than 48 hours.
The test was carried out with the team’s 2023 car, setting up a vintage car test, which applies to vehicles between two and five years old. Each driver can do 1000km of similar tests per season, and Hamilton must use all his mileage at the very beginning, to adapt before the season heats up.
Therefore, it is likely that, next week, Hamilton will return to the track in the red car, in a session already scheduled at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Barcelona. The only doubt is the date, which depends on time to be defined.
