Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed a momentous week at Ferrari – and he still hasn’t even made his debut. On Tuesday, he made his first official appearance in their colours at the F1 75 event in London.
Craig Slater noticed that many British F1 fans were wearing red – an unusual sight – as they celebrated Hamilton’s move. He received the loudest cheers of the night when he went on stage at the O2 Arena.
Ferrari showcased their SF-25 livery and then quickly flew back to Italy, where the drivers took to the track in the new machinery for the first time. Charles Leclerc was first out on Wednesday, with Hamilton in action during the afternoon.
The seven-time world champion has completed an extensive private testing programme this winter. He’s driven the 2023 car at Fiorano and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (where he crashed), and also took last year’s challenger round the Spanish Grand Prix venue on 2026-spec Pirelli tyres.
Next week, he’ll complete his most important running yet as the teams arrive in Bahrain for the pre-season test. Observers will be closely watching the onboard footage and lap times to determine his comfort behind the wheel.
He will then make his formal debut at the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March. His first date with the Tifosi is the Emilia Romagna GP two months later.
Karun Chandhok enthused by the Lewis Hamilton/Ferrari buzz
Hamilton’s Ferrari move is widely considered the biggest driver transfer in the history of F1. Combined, they have won 22 drivers’ titles and a staggering 353 races.
It’s been over a year since the move was announced, and a month since Hamilton’s first test. But the hype shows no signs of dying down.
Only a disappointing start to the season could dampen at this stage. But F1’s commercial rights holders Liberty Media will hope it drives a surge of interest from the outset.
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Writing on his Instagram story, Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok explained that Hamilton’s transfer was one of his main sources of excitement for the season ahead. He’s already counting down to Melbourne.
“Just 24 days to the first F1 race of the season,” he wrote. “The buzz around Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is unreal.”
Lewis Hamilton has changed his opinion of Fernando Alonso after what he’s seen at Ferrari
Hamilton says he’s just as enthusiastic as he was in 2007, when he took part in his first race for McLaren. He would score his first victory at round six in Canada.
But even a repeat of that would fall short of what Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel managed. Alonso won on his Ferrari debut in Bahrain in 2010, while Vettel stood on the top step in his second race in Malaysia.
Hamilton has developed a newfound respect for Alonso and Vettel now that he’s joined Ferrari. He’s seen just how difficult it is to adapt.
The Briton endured a miserable weekend at Albert Park last year, qualifying 11th before retiring from the race with engine issues. Leclerc reportedly stopped on track during testing, but Ferrari will be confident of avoiding unreliability this year.
