“This is one!”
Lewis Hamilton was unable to hide excitement when walking between the “heritage” road car at Ferrari's headquarters in Maranero, Italy.
He paused when he found the most rare Red Ferrari F40, one of the most rare road cars in the middle of the floor. He spread his hand in the spoiler in the rear, and a smile wrapped his face. He found his favorite.
It was strange of this kind. Hamilton asked when he decided to move to Ferrari with seven world champions who won all the Formula -One. For all the successes he enjoyed in Mercedes, there was nothing to match with the history and magic of the most symbolic team of F1.
The moment he had a dream since he was a child, he finally arrived as a Ferrari driver.
The first day of Maranero was about a year in Hamilton's manufacturing. Since he announced a shocking decision to quit Mercedes 12 seasons, he had endured difficulties, and his own admission has sometimes endured the annoying last year. It may have been emotional to close the Abu Dhabi chapter, but Hamilton knew it was a new and exciting one.
In order to mark the beginning of this era, which united the F1's most successful driver and the most successful team, we needed to pay close attention to all details. Ferrari F1 team's principal Fred Vaser was reluctant to hold a large presentation and media event that did not want to add extra work and distribution to the team plate in the new season preparation.
But it had to make the first week of Hamilton in Maranero a memorable one.
F40 on the “old” side of the Ferrari factory (the headquarters is divided into the historical part of the facility, the yellow building, the wall and the red “new” side moved through the drizzle of Italy. Ferrari. Michael Schumache Square, which was named after the greats of the F1 titles, saw many legends sampling his red car through the window. The history of Enzo Ferrari is everywhere you go.
Hamilton met Vasseur and Ferrari's CEO BENEDETTO VIGNA and took pictures outside the house next to the F40. Even Hamilton's costumes on that day were carefully planned by his stylist Eric McNeal, to his red -melt lroovtane boots. The first official photo of Ferrari F1 driver Luis Hamilton became a viral immediately, became the most popular photo on the F1 Instagram page within 24 hours, and decorated all the front pages of the Italian sports newspaper the next morning. 。
Hamilton's arrival photos were viral, especially in Italy. (Clive Rose / Getty Images)
Hamilton also made time to visit Ferrari's faithful Tiffoji fans, which had been gathered outside the Maranello factory early in the morning.
While in McLaren and Mercedes, Hamilton wants to build a strong bond with fans (known as “Team LH”), and want Ferrari to restate.
“I don't really know what to expect, but I'm really looking forward to connecting with the community,” said Hamilton at a press conference last August. It took a few minutes with the fans, took a picture, provided a signature, and his name was a good first gesture. It has created a bystander from John Elkan, one of the major brokers signed Hamilton, probably the most powerful person in Ferrari.
Both Ferrari and Hamilton have many things in 2025. Ferrari has missed the first constructor championship since 2008 for only 14 points, but Hamilton is still looking for a record eighth world title. Until 2024, the struggle with Mercedes cars was created for the season when the teammates were delayed. It is an important part of this movement to prove the funk and prove that he still has the edge that has almost become impossible to hit him at the peak of his power in F1.
The Hamilton era came to know his new colleagues through a very important factory tour on Monday and Tuesday and subsequent meetings. Hamilton always gained strength in his relationship with his relationship with Mercedes' teammates, especially with his race engineer, Peter Bonington. It is Ricardo Adami, an engineer of Carlos Signs (nickname with love), with Callos Signs (Azami Ricky, with affection), and the four world champion Sebastian Vettel. It will be the voice at the end of the radio. Hamilton through the race.

Hamilton is suitable for the first test in Fiorano. (Ferrari)
Ferrari plans to go out of Hamilton's first rack behind the 2023 car wheels on Wednesday, a private test truck adjacent to the factory. However, because it was always dependent on the weather, it was difficult to predict at the depth of January in Northern Italy.
Preparations for Monday and Tuesday include Ferrari's simulator seat fitting and sampling, and Hamilton gave the opportunity to feel at least how his new car works. Until 2024, one of his great struggles was that I was confident that I was balanced with the car.,, In particular, he brakes his slow, aggressive style. With one lap, Hamilton could often use the car to the fullest. I have read the simulator first, at least, at least what I can expect from this year's Ferrari, at least comparable to the real thing.
Hamilton's new race helmet design this year returns to yellow, which he used as a child in a go -kart, and his father, Anthony, can easily find him on trucks. Hamilton, the first pose with a helmet shot and a classic red -ferrar relay suit, was shared with the world and gained excitement before the first ontrack running. All I needed was to play the ball.
If you drive a 2 -year -old F1 car on a fog cold day around the short test circuit, you may not have a special moment, but for Hamilton, he played as Michael Schumacher in a video game. As a teenager, which was a dream of dreaming, I wonder what it would be like to be in the red -car cockpit someday.
Prior to the relocation to Ferrari for the next season, Hamilton's maiden was out of the end, as if Fiorano's Schumacher was at the end of 1995. After changing into a new red race suit at Enzo Helli's house, Hamilton walked to set up a simple garage next to the truck. team. When the engineer ran through the process, Hamilton doodled things and remembered a small notebook.

Hamilton and Ferrari crews are running this week (Ferrari)
Hamilton had many new faces in Ferrari's gear to know, but some were watching with additional affection, including Daddy Anthony. Vasseur cooperated with Hamilton in the junior category, but they were always friendly and opened almost 20 years later. Vice -principal Gerome Dambroosio and Chassis technical director, Lois Serra, worked in Mercedes when Hamilton was there.
But probably the most important and surprising returning person was Angela Karen, a former trainer and performance coach of Hamilton.
Hamilton and Karen cooperated for seven years and suddenly divided two races in the 2023 season. Karen was the center of Hamilton's inner ring, supervised his physical preparation and helped him before the race. She worked last year at Indycar, but returned to the Hamilton team after contracting with his management company, Project 44, who takes care of his business interests. Her return is important for Hamilton, who comforts him to have a certain amount of familiarity during the big adjustments associated with participating in a new team.
At 9:16 am, Hamilton peeled off the truck from the garage. Finally, he was a Ferrari F1 driver. Fans and television cameras gathered in a few advantageous places overlooking Fiorano, and a glimpse of the famous Ferrari's famous # 44, including the bridge next to the busy road. Tifosi is not too large.
Testing old cars would not have been given to Hamilton so much in order to accurately read how the new season would go, but at least provided an opportunity to adapt to Ferrari's way of working. The SF-23 car, the only red-bluish winner in 2023, first understood the power supply of Ferrari-Engine and the function of the steering wheel. Both are different from those who were used to Mercedes.
Hamilton managed only a handful of runs in the morning only 30 laps and completed the installation run with wet tires before switching to a slick. The race driver is limited to a 1,000 km private test by an old car throughout the year. In other words, following Hamilton's 89km running, the teammate Charles Recraire runs 42km pm, leaving enough space prior to the new season. One day after the launch event of the F1 season in London in O2, a few weeks before the first car in Fiorano in Fiorano on February 19, a further out of Hamilton in Barcelona is planned.
Neither the limited running nor the weather did not stop Ferrari's debut.
When his running was completed, he rode a black Alfa Romeo road car, and was taken to dozens of fans standing behind the fence, waving his hand. His mother, Carmen, was taking a picture on her phone. Her son first saw Ferrari's red, and she drank at that moment. Hamilton greeted him, “I, me, me, me! Lewis, Lewis!” Tefosh has already warmed Hamilton and quickly became a new hero.
“I already knew how passionate the Ferrari family was from all the teams to Tefos,” Hamilton said. “Ferrari's driver is witnessing it directly, as Ah, which is a respect for A. The passion runs through their veins, and you can't help giving it vitality.”
Ferrari is completely balanced, so the arrival of Hamilton must be a “moment” without impairing the focus, and it must be a performance. I know how important it is from the back of the 2024 season this year not only decreases almost as a mistake, but also increases hope at the right time. Just like this week, the background work and coordination were really important for Hamilton.
It was only a week that Hamilton's love and passion for F1 recurred. Just as he committed to the Mercedes project, the difficulties on the truck flickered the flame on the track.
This new, ambitious project is to carry the expected fan -based weight, pride of national sports, and the history of successful people who have come before in Ferrari Red.
By the way, before making a complete debut in Australia on March 16th, work hard to make adjustments as smoothly as possible.
Above photo: Alessandroblemec Crivo Rose via Getty Image. Design: Tullos/Athletic