Hamilton fulfills his ambition to compete for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in Formula One history and a seven-time world champion, said racing for Ferrari was a dream come true as he came for his first day on Monday.

Hamilton is at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello for the first time since he made his shocking decision to quit Mercedes, where he won six of his seven Formula One world titles, about a year ago.

“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” Hamilton said in an Instagram post.

Some part of me has always clung to the dream of racing in red, even though I’ve been fortunate enough to do things in my career that I never would have imagined possible. Being able to fulfill that desire now makes me extremely happy.

The simulator and seat fitting were part of Hamilton’s first day, but because of the weather, he probably won’t make his first appearance at the Fiorano test track until Wednesday. Official testing is scheduled to begin in Bahrain on February 26–28.

Despite finishing seventh overall and having his worst season in terms of championship position, the Briton managed to win two races after going two seasons without a win. 2020 was Hamilton’s most recent title victory.

Hamilton will replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who joined Williams, at Ferrari, who haven’t won a driver’s title since 2007. The 2025 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix from March 14–16.

“Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together,” Hamilton stated.