Lewis Hamilton dominated the headlines in the motorsport world this week as his much-anticipated Ferrari venture began, marking the start of a chapter combining the most decorated driver and team to have graced Formula 1 and the two parties that command greater acclaim than their respective peers.
Despite the news that sent the sporting world into pandemonium taking place even prior to a wheel being turned in 2024, the commotion attached to Hamilton’s move to Ferrari had remained a central discussion point throughout the most recent campaign.
The building intrigue reached tipping point as the date which had been touted as the one where Hamilton would be present at Ferrari ground arrived – and it didn’t underwhelm.
Having been spotted arriving at Ferrari’s prestigious Maranello campus, Hamilton sent social media into overdrive on Monday morning when he posted an image that comprised him, stern-faced, standing outside Enzo Ferrari’s iconic house in a striped three-piece suit with the F40 which had caught his attention as he strode along where the Ferrari historic cars are situated.
Hamilton’s attire was complete with Louboutin shoes, containing their distinguishable red soles to match the paintwork on the door, window frames and shutters located on the building behind him.
Such a detail is certain to have not been a coincidental choice but rather a result of meticulous planning as Hamilton, who has dovetailed his racing career with endeavours in fashion and music among other things, has long dedicated ultimate attention and care to his public appearance.
The photo that Hamilton uploaded on the hallowed Piazza Michael Schumacher, named to honour the man who won five titles with the team, has accrued more than 5.5 million likes to date on Instagram alone.
That smashed the previous record that an F1-related post had accumulated, which was the 4.6 million likes that Charles Leclerc received last September when he posted a selfie with the Tifosi on the Monza podium having won the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari.
Such is the worldwide attention that he tends to covet, Hamilton setting new boundaries on his opening morning with Ferrari came as no surprise in the slightest.
And although there has been scepticism surrounding whether his spell in red will be prosperous on the race track, there can be no doubts regarding how great a commercial success the alliance will be.
The sponsors tied to Ferrari could vouch for that as Sponsorlytix calculated that the engagement on a post relating to Hamilton was worth a staggering $62,100 to title sponsor HP and over $40,000 to brands such as Ceva, IBM, PUMA, Shell and VGW.
But those astronomical figures aren’t down to Hamilton’s sporting success alone. As his Instagram bio alludes to, his existence isn’t tied to being a driver; his status as a global icon ensures his actions and whereabouts demand much more traction than his rivals.
Alongside the image which will remain intertwined with whatever he goes on to achieve in the coming seasons with the squad, Hamilton was also photographed alongside Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur, who oversaw his title-winning GP2 season in 2006, Chairman John Elkann, the man who sanctioned the blockbuster multi-term deal, and also Piero Ferrari, Enzo’s last living son.
With pleasantries exchanged once he had toured the various departments to meet his new team-mates, the seven-time F1 champion got down to the serious business as he completed a seat fitting and then undertook a first stint in Ferrari’s simulator.
Hamilton described the visit to Maranello as a “dream” moment, expressing: “There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today is one of those days.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held onto that dream of racing in red,” he continued.
“I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today. Today we will 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’s dream was one that even he had resigned to not materialising when, back in 2021, he revealed that a move to Ferrari was poised to lie in an alternative universe.
That appeared to be cemented in September 2023 when he penned a new deal with Mercedes and voiced the desire to emulate the late Sir Stirling Moss in retaining his ties to the German marque past his time racing in the sport through an ambassadorial role.
Still, according to the man and those who have been alongside him on his path to superstardom, Hamilton’s wish to race with Ferrari never wavered and the childhood voice in his head grew louder once he and Elkann began conversing again in late 2023.
Having turned down the chance to make the switch on previous occasions, Hamilton, attentive to the knowledge that it was now or never, took the plunge and pledged to make the move that drivers fantasise about.
Approaching 12 months since the move was announced, Hamilton’s inaugural laps in a Ferrari F1 machine took place. Despite the magnitude associated with the event, the run, as expected, was behind closed doors.
Nevertheless, thousands descended on Maranello on Wednesday as spectators, the media and photographers alike all congregated along the vantage points that align the venue to view the historic moment.
Hamilton, coupled with Ferrari’s media team, added to the mounting excitement with several teasers dropped in the hours leading up to his run on the track, including a shot in red overalls and a helmet unveiling.
There was much intrigue concerning the colours that Hamilton would adopt and he has revived the resplendent yellow that he used through karting and his opening seasons with McLaren and Mercedes in F1.
Complete with red accents and the seven stars on each side to represent each Drivers’ Championship he has won, that lid accompanied him as he exited Enzo Ferrari’s house and embarked upon the short walk to the adjacent Fiorano track.
Awaiting Hamilton in the small Shell-branded garage at the circuit was the SF-23 – the Ferrari car that won a single race in 2023 through his predecessor Carlos Sainz – with his renowned #44 number adorned in white.
As he got prepared, watching on in the background were both his parents, Vasseur and his Deputy Jerome D’Ambrosio, who worked with Hamilton at Mercedes, plus the returning Angela Cullen, the long-time trainer who’s returned to his side at Ferrari.
Having been buckled into the SF-23, Hamilton headed out onto the track at 9:16 am local time on a cold morning at Fiorano, drawing parallels to the conditions that were present when Schumacher debuted in 1995.
The damp asphalt meant Hamilton navigated his initial tour at a tentative pace, taking the chance to wave to those who had attended trackside to witness the landmark.
Hamilton then returned to the garage where routine car checks took place, but he remained in the cockpit and spoke with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, who has worked with Sebastian Vettel and Sainz.
The track had dried once Hamilton embarked upon his next run plan, giving him the chance to push the car on slicks. But he was photographed locking up and going wide, indicating that the cool temperatures meant that grip was still at a premium on the white-walled Hard compound he used.
Hamilton ended up completing 30 laps, amounting to 89 kilometres, split up into multiple small stints and sandwiched with some practice starts to get accustomed to the launch processes used at his new team.
Despite acquiring limited mileage on a track unlike those he will experience on the F1 calendar, Hamilton at least got to grips with how a Ferrari car built to the current ground effect regulations behaves, along with how the Italian marque’s power unit operates compared to the Mercedes he was used to.
The ex-Mercedes stalwart got more immersed in his new team’s culture as he concluded his initial visit with a trip down to the section where the overpass overlooks the track to greet those who had braved the adverse weather conditions to welcome him.
There was a permanent smile etched across Hamilton’s face as his mum, Carmen Larbalestier, recorded the moment that the Ferrari faithful serenaded their newest hero.
The change in environment seems to have revitalised Hamilton, who had become worn down at a Mercedes team which had been unable to equip him with the tools to avenge his stolen title in 2021 and appeared to have been angling to nudge him towards the exit.
So while he has logged seven Drivers’ titles and a record 105 wins, Hamilton counted his opening laps with Ferrari among his most cherished memories since he started racing.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t sure how many more firsts I had but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning, was one of the best feelings of my life,” Hamilton beamed.
“When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost twenty years later, feeling those emotions all over again.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi. But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring. That passion runs through their veins and you can’t help but be energised by it. I’m so grateful for the love I have felt from everyone in Maranello this week, we have a lot of work to do but I can’t wait to get started.”
Hamilton’s run preceded new team-mate Leclerc getting reacquainted with his past Ferrari machine, though his time at the wheel was limited to 14 laps as light drizzle accompanied his entire period on the track.
Hamilton and Leclerc are set to be in action again next week as Ferrari go to Barcelona – again with the SF-23 under the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) scheme – to lend the drivers track time on a conventional circuit.
The Maranello-based squad will then remain at the Spanish venue as it tests the 18-inch wheels that Pirelli plans to introduce when the rules change in 2025. That will allow Hamilton to sample Ferrari’s most recent challenger, the 2024-spec SF-24.
That could mark the Briton’s last track appearance until pre-season testing in Bahrain between February 26-28, where he will share running with Leclerc before the campaign starts in Australia on March 16.
The ex-McLaren driver is gunning to end his illustrious story with at least one final title with F1’s most storied team to eclipse the record seven he shares with Schumacher.
Hamilton beat Ferrari’s Felipe Massa at the death to his maiden crown in 2008, while he thwarted the Italian outfit when he prevailed against Vettel in both 2017 and also 2018.
But time will tell whether he will succeed where Vettel, whom Hamilton is reported to have spoken to prior to his debut with Ferrari, did not with the ultimate prize in red.
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