Lewis Hamilton visited the Ferrari fans gathered outside the Fiorano test track after his first run on Wednesday morning. They weren’t granted official access, but they camped out on a nearby embankment nonetheless.
Hamilton made sure to show his appreciation following his 90km test. He was driven to the spot where the spectators had massed, and gestured to give thanks.
They had been in position since early morning despite the cold, damp and misty conditions. Hamilton’s running was interrupted by bouts of rain but he did manage to complete around just under a third of an F1 race distance, comparable to a Sprint.
Charles Leclerc was on track in the afternoon, also driving Ferrari’s 2023 car. The F1-75 is now available for testing under the regulations.
Hamilton will be back at Fiorano in the 2025 Ferrari before he heads to Bahrain for pre-season testing. The team will be able to carry out a shakedown/filming day.
Teams must adhere to FIA mileage limits, but Ferrari will bias their allocation towards the start of the year. That will help Hamilton prepare for his full debut at the Australian GP in mid-March.
Ferrari ask Lewis Hamilton to bring them the world championship
A video shared on Twitter by Spanish publication SoyMotor shows Ferrari fans chanting in Hamilton’s direction at Fiorano. They have warmly embraced him after showing hostility in the past.
For so long, Hamilton was a sporting villain among the Tifosi, denying Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel world titles. He extended their title drought, which stretches back to 2007.
Kimi Raikkonen criticised Ferrari supporters for booing Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix in 2018. He received a similar reception a year later, even though Charles Leclerc won the race.
But Hamilton helped to turn Mercedes into an F1 superteam, and Fred Vasseur will hope he has a similar impact at Maranello. Fans at Fiorano chanted ‘bring us the world championship’, so their expectations are clear.
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari debut crowd dwarfs another Formula 1 legend
Winning the championship in 2025 may even be beyond Hamilton. Ferrari must overhaul reigning champions McLaren, and hold off Red Bull and Mercedes behind.
Even then, Leclerc would stand in his way. The Monegasque has been with the team since 2019, giving him an inherent advantage, and may be entering his prime at 27 while a 40-year-old Hamilton tries to banish fears of decline.
2026 might be a more realistic target, though that will depend on the Scuderia nailing the new regulations. The bottom line is that anything less than a fairytale eighth title at Ferrari will be regarded as a disappointment.
Still, based on the winter scenes, a victory alone would create an earthquake in Italy. Even four-time world champion Vettel didn’t generate the same ‘chaos’ as Hamilton when he joined back in 2015.
