On Wednesday, Ferrari fans finally got to witness Lewis Hamilton drive one of their famous Formula 1 fans at the team’s test track at Fiorano.
Thousands of Ferrari fans greeted Lewis Hamilton as he completed 30 laps on a very foggy day in northern Italy.
However, those fans didn’t suddenly dissipate when it was Charles Leclerc’s turn to jump in the car on Wednesday afternoon.
Both drivers are limited to just 1,000 km of testing outside of the official three days of pre-season running in Bahrain.
While Hamilton drove double the number of laps that Leclerc did, he’s still got plenty of mileage in the tank for when both drivers head to Barcelona later in the month for more rigorous testing.
Hamilton and Leclerc’s lap times have been compared but due to the different conditions and factors surrounding their runs at Fiorano, there’s little that can be read into them.
It was nevertheless a historic day for team principal Frederic Vasseur’s outfit as another multiple-world champion arrived at their Maranello factory.
Both drivers took to Instagram to commemorate their first day back in the cars in 2025, with Leclerc highlighting how ‘special’ Wednesday was for his newest Formula 1 teammate.
Charles Leclerc highlights ‘very special’ day for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari testing
Although Leclerc’s running was very limited, he did treat the Tifosi that stuck around to some doughnuts on the track before heading back to the garage.
He then shared several photos from the day and said: “Back living the dream.
“So good to be driving again and to see all the tifosi at the track.
“[It] was a very special day for the team and Lewis as well and was really happy to be there to see it.
“Can’t wait to get this season started.”
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Leclerc and Hamiton have to work together now to help develop the 2025 car as much as possible despite the lack of track time they’ll have with Ferrari’s latest machine.
That will involve some simulator work and listening to their feedback when testing their previous cars and making any minor adjustments to suit both of their driving styles.
Lewis Hamilton declares ‘one of the best feelings of my life’ after Ferrari test
Although Ferrari’s fans were very happy to see Leclerc kick off his seventh campaign with the team, the majority of the interest was around Hamilton.
Hamilton may have to emulate Michael Schumacher’s approach to working at Ferrari to be as successful as he wants to be, but the 40-year-old is also likely to put his spin on adjusting to life with the Scuderia.
His experience at Mercedes will help him adjust, especially as the likes of Loic Serra and Jerome d’Ambrosio have both recently made the same move.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Talking after getting his first taste of life in a Ferrari F1 car, Hamilton said in an official press release: “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.
“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.”
Hamilton created pandemonium among Ferrari’s fans with a few testing laps, the response if he goes on to win a race or even a championship may be unlike anything Maranello has ever seen.
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