The Tifosi waited around the Fiorano circuit, owned by Ferrari, to see the first laps of Lewis Hamilton in red. They were rewarded this Wednesday, January 22 at 9:16 a.m.
After two days of work in Maranello, where he met members of the team and spoke with engineers, Hamilton finally took his first laps behind the wheel of a 2023 Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 for the first time
It is within the framework of the TPC (Test Previous Car) that Lewis Hamilton can take the wheel of a 2-year-old F1 car, allowing the British driver to get his bearings aboard a Ferrari SF-23 to familiarize himself with his new environment.
The FIA regulations still impose a limit on mileage, even with older cars. This corresponds to 4 days and a maximum of 1000 km, which still allows you to discover, at a minimum, the behavior of a new single-seater. This run was also important for Lewis Hamilton, because the latter was unable to participate in the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix runs last December.
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© Fabrizio Boldoni / DPPI
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© Fabrizio Boldoni / DPPI
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Going from a Mercedes that he knows like the back of his hand to a Ferrari will require some acclimatization time, although Lewis has already requested to change the configuration of the buttons on his steering wheel. He also discovers his new staff who will work alongside him, like his new track engineer, Riccardo Adami. And for the first time also, he discovered an F1 engine other than Mercedes, the only ones he had known at McLaren and obviously at Mercedes.
In addition, Hamilton unveiled the design of his helmet for the 2025 season on Wednesday morning, before taking his first laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari. It is mainly yellow, exactly like the first one he presented at McLaren, but also his first helmet at Mercedes. For this first day of driving in Italy, Lewis' mother (Carmen Larbalestrier) was present on site. Note that the Instagram post of Lewis Hamilton posing in front of the Ferrari F40 has been liked more than 5 million times, becoming the F1 publication with the most engagement in the history of the discipline. After his run, Lewis went to greet the Tifosi around the circuit, impatient to be able to interact with their new idol.
© Scuderia Ferrari
