Hamilton makes his Ferrari track debut

On a foggy Wednesday morning at Maranello, seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton made his debut on the track for Ferrari, fulfilling his ambition of racing in the team’s recognizable red.

Fans flocked to the Fiorano garage to see Hamilton’s maiden test drive in the SF-23, the Italian team’s 2023 Formula One model, at 0916 local time. Hamilton made the announcement that he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in February of last year.

As he starts his first official week at Ferrari, which started at the team’s headquarters on Monday, the 40-year-old, who won six of his world titles with Mercedes, also presented a new bright yellow helmet.

Since Testing of Previous Cars (TCP) regulations only permit a restricted usage of vehicles that are at least two years old, Hamilton will have to wait for formal testing in Bahrain on February 26–28 in order to become familiar with the car for the upcoming season.

When the 2025 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix from March 14–16, the Briton will pair up with Charles Leclerc and try to restore the glory days to F1’s most successful and oldest team, which hasn’t won a driver’s title since 2007.

Although they finished in a tight second place last season, Ferrari pushed McLaren all the way. Their previous constructors’ championship victory was in 2008. After going two seasons without winning a championship, Hamilton won two races in 2024. His most recent championship triumph occurred in 2020.