Esteban Ocon uses one word to describe seeing Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari colours

Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is undeniably iconic. He’s won more races than any other driver in F1 history (105), and his new team are also the most decorated on the grid, with 31 combined titles.

Even rivals accept that it’s a special moment for the sport. Speaking following McLaren’s car launch last week, Oscar Piastri said he’d cheer Hamilton on if he wasn’t racing.

He may have overseen the Red Bull team during their bitter 2021 rivalry with Mercedes, but Christian Horner called Hamilton’s move ‘super exciting’. It could bring him back into title contention.

In a year where F1 is promoting a self-titled blockbuster, there’s a Hollywood quality to Hamilton’s transfer. At 40 years old, he’s trying to win an unprecedented eighth championship, and fulfilling a career-long dream in the process.

He’d be the first quadragenarian to lift the trophy since Jack Brabham back in 1966. But F1 rarely sticks to the fairytale script.

Hamilton said he wasn’t ‘fast anymore’ last season and he now faces arguably the sport’s quickest driver (over one lap) in Charles Leclerc. Even if Ferrari deliver a contending car, it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to maximise it.

Esteban Ocon sounds like Lewis Hamilton’s biggest fan as he raves about Ferrari photos

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the F175 launch on Tuesday evening, Esteban Ocon sounded even more enthusiastic about Hamilton joining Ferrari than Piastri and Horner. He worked with the Briton back in 2019, when he spent a year on the sidelines as Mercedes reserve driver.

Ocon described Hamilton as the most ‘influential’ driver in the sport’s recent history. He’s almost certainly the main attraction for the fans attending the O2 Arena.

The Haas driver called the sight of Hamilton in Ferrari’s famous colours ‘incredible’. The two teams are closely linked by their engine partnership and technical collaboration.

“Seeing Lewis in the red overalls for the first time was incredible,” Ocon said. “He is the most successful and influential driver of our generation.”

What Esteban Ocon said about witnessing Lewis Hamilton’s first test at Ferrari

Ocon was present at the Ferrari factory when Hamilton conducted his first test last month. He drove the 2023 car around the Fiorano circuit.

On track, it was a relatively brief and low-key outing in cold, damp conditions. But it attracted a crowd of thousands.

• READ MORE: Ferrari have completed ‘fundamental’ factory upgrade that will benefit Lewis Hamilton’s F1 title ambitions

Ocon couldn’t help being enraptured by what he witnessed. He’s part of a generation of F1 drivers who grew up watching Hamilton achieve success at McLaren.

Speaking in late January, Ocon said the atmosphere around Hamilton was ‘crazy’. His teammate, Oliver Bearman, is part of the Ferrari driver academy and may hope to replace him one day.