Lewis Hamilton’s debut at Ferrari finally came after he made his way out on track at Fiorano for a test for the first time in front of the adoring Tifosi crowd.
Ferrari fans shouted just two words when they saw Hamilton take to the track, having spent the entire morning waiting in anticipation of his first runs.
Hamilton and Ferrari teased the run throughout the week, with posts on social media showing him first visiting their Maranello headquarters and later in red overalls. Maranello’s mayor also declared a ‘state of emergency’ due to the amount of fans that had descended in the area to catch a glimpse of the historical moment.
Beginning his running at 9:16am local time on Wednesday, Hamilton racked up over 11 laps in a 2023 car on wet tyres due to the misty conditions.
Many are anticipating what his partnership with Charles Leclerc will be like, with journalist Koen Vergeer comparing it to Niki Lauda and Alain Prost in 1984 when speaking on the Formule 1 Magazine podcast.
Lewis Hamilton versus Charles Leclerc compared to Niki Lauda and Alain Prost in 1984
During the 1984 season, Lauda and Prost were teammates at McLaren with the former seen as the elder statesman at the tail end of his career. Lauda had already won two titles in his career, two of which was at Ferrari, and had made a comeback in 1979 before making a comeback in 1982.
Initially, Lauda did not want Prost as his teammate as he was a faster rival that posed a threat. However, during their two seasons together they had a great relationship, with Lauda going on to say it was motivation for him in his final years.
With Leclerc one of Ferrari’s talents nurtured since he was in junior formulas, Vergeer sees a similar scenario playing out between him and Hamilton.
“This year we will get a scenario like 1984. You also had two guns at McLaren, Niki Lauda and Alain Prost,” said Vergeer.
“Prost was really the upcoming man who qualified every race more than a second faster than Lauda. And Lauda didn’t have to worry because he said I have all the experience, I will drive forward in the races and he did that and became World Champion by half a point.
“In that sense, I think Hamilton can do that too. Leclerc is already a notorious qualifier and that was a weak point for Hamilton last year. So I think he has to let Leclerc go in that respect, but he has to make sure that he is always there in the races.”
Lewis Hamilton will find Ferrari tougher than Mercedes
Hamilton joins Ferrari during an interesting period. Despite struggling to build a car capable of winning titles since Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and Fernando Alonso’s close attempts in 2010 and 2012, Ferrari’s form has improved in the last 12 months.
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took convincing wins towards the end of last year, and Ferrari has also brought numerous backroom staff from Mercedes since signing Hamilton.
READ MORE: What is Fiorano? Ferrari’s legendary test track where Lewis Hamilton will make Scuderia debut
Nico Rosberg expects Leclerc will beat Hamilton over the course of a season, but Peter Windsor thinks there is one reason why Hamilton will find Ferrari tougher to race at than Mercedes.
While at the Silver Arrows, Hamilton always had teammates he could rely on to help him in title battles. It is unlikely Leclerc is going to do that, and will instead pose a threat if they can both challenge for the title.
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