Lewis Hamilton is getting his final preparations in before his debut race with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion has had to wait almost a year before putting on the team’s iconic red colours. Now, he is just over a week away from taking to the track in the SF-25 for his first race with Ferrari.
Hamilton has been working on getting himself integrated into the team as quickly as possible, with four private tests in previous and current machinery. The Brit was second-fastest on day two of pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Hamilton’s time beating Carlos Sainz’s best lap last year for Ferrari.
However, it was perhaps not the smoothest of tests as Hamilton only completed 162 laps over the three days – the fourth lowest in Bahrain. Nevertheless, the 40-year-old remains optimistic about the work he has done since officially joining Ferrari in January.
Hamilton has copied Sebastian Vettel’s technique to help things run smoothly with his new race engineer Riccardo Adami. He is hoping to strike a similar relationship with the Italian as the one with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes.
The work Hamilton is putting in behind the scenes at the factory in Maranello is immense – and Ferrari fans will love what he has just said about working there.
Lewis Hamilton feels like he ‘never’ wants to leave Maranello factory while working there
The Brit left the world stunned with his iconic pictures from his first factory visit back in January. Hamilton’s Instagram post paid back a week’s wages to Ferrari’s sponsors, with it being the most-liked F1-related post of all time.
Since then, the 40-year-old has been getting stuck into work in Maranello. Hamilton is doing long hours at the factory, as well as learning Italian and having his motorhome parked next to the old house of Enzo Ferrari.
The delight on Hamilton’s face when wearing the red of Ferrari and working with the team is clear to see. Speaking via Sky Sports F1 at the team’s special 20th-anniversary event with Puma, the seven-time champion admitted he feels like he ‘never’ wants to leave the factory when working.
Hamilton said: “Every day here is just… it’s such a special feeling being at work every day here.
“You don’t feel like you’re at work and you don’t want to leave, it’s pretty iconic! I mean look at this place we’re in now with Puma and all the historic cars they have here.”
How will Lewis Hamilton fare in his first Ferrari race in Australia?
As pre-season testing ends, the attention heads straight to the Australian Grand Prix. The world will be watching eagerly to see how Hamilton will perform in his first race in red.
Hamilton will be ‘slightly underprepared; for Melbourne given the limited mileage he achieved in Bahrain. But he and the team will be optimistic about his chances.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Hamilton also faces an FIA investigation into the SF-25’s rear wing after a complaint from Red Bull about Ferrari and McLaren. The Milton Keynes outfit believe the former have breached the regulations and have formed an ‘official and accusatory file’ to the governing body.
Ferrari will not let that stand in the way of their preparations for Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season opener.
Hamilton is reminded of his debut F1 race by his first Grand Prix with Ferrari. The Brit finished on the podium with McLaren that day in 2007 – and he will be looking to replicate that at the very least in 2025.
