Lewis Hamilton pays first visit to Ferrari F1 factory

On By Littum

Lewis Hamilton has finally made his first public appearance at Ferrari’s Maranello Formula 1 base.

After months of speculation about when he would officially start working at his new team, Hamilton posted a photo of himself at Maranello on social media.

“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days. I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career that I never thought possible, but a part of me has always held on to the dream of riding in red. I couldn’t be happier to realize that dream today,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram.

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

Hamilton’s performance at Maranello marks the start of what will be an intense period for the seven-time world champion as he adjusts to life in his new home.

Attention is likely to be focused this week on his debut race behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car – with the Italian team expected to roll him out in an old car.

What to expect from Hamilton’s first week at Ferrari

Using what are known as Testing Previous Car rules, Ferrari is likely to use the 2023 contender for a run at its Fiorano test track in Maranello.

It is understood that the squad remains quite flexible as to when exactly this test will take place.

It had been widely reported in the Italian media that Hamilton would be at Maranello on Monday, although testing is unlikely to start until Wednesday as it is expected that Hamilton will spend a few days meeting team members, making a seat adjustment and preparing the simulator.

Ferrari has been tight-lipped in advance about publishing any details about when the test will take place.

It is understood that this has been driven by the desire not to attract too much fan interest at Maranello, which could cause logistical headaches on the public roads that run around the Fiorano test track if they become too packed.