Lewis Hamilton delights Formula 1 fans with another ‘legendary’ photo from his first week at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has started work in Maranello as a Ferrari driver and, as expected, it has sent social media into a frenzy.

The seven-time champion visited the factory in the Maranello for the first time on Monday. He greeted his new team members before doing some work in the simulator.

Hamilton told Ferrari chairman John Elkann he is ‘so excited’ to get started with the famous red team. The Brit is set to complete his first test with Ferrari on Wednesday at their private circuit in Fiorano.

Hamilton is one of four F1 drivers carrying out private tests with their respective teams. Ferrari are set to give their new recruit several outings before pre-season testing in Bahrain in February.

Predictably, fan interest in Hamilton’s first test with Ferrari is through the roof, with hundreds flocking to the factory on Monday to meet the 40-year-old. The Mayor of Maranello has declared a state of emergency to help regulate the traffic likely to be affected by the session.

F1 fans delighted by ‘legendary’ photo of Lewis Hamilton wearing Ferrari red for the first time

Interest has also been sky-high on social media since Hamilton posed as a Ferrari driver for the first time during his factory visit. The Brit posted a photo of him outside of Enzo Ferrari’s old house with the Ferrari F40 behind him.

Hamilton’s post surpassed teammate Charles Leclerc’s post at Monza as the most-liked F1-related picture of all time. The Monagasque driver held the record after posting a selfie from the podium following his win at the Italian Grand Prix in 2024.

And on Tuesday evening, Hamilton sent the internet into chaos again as he finally posed wearing Ferrari race overalls. F1 fans swarmed the comments on his Instagram account to express their excitement.

One fan wrote: “Red suits you well”, while another said seeing Hamilton wearing red overalls was already incredible before seeing him in one of Ferrari’s cars: “DAY ONE, AND ITS ALREADY LEGENDARY”.

Many fans were in awe of seeing Hamilton in all red for the first time. One user said: “Red is the warmest colour”, while another wrote in Italian: “Wow that wasn’t even hard I’m used to it”.

One fan claimed: “Red has never looked better and now will be loved better”, while another loved seeing Hamilton post as a Ferrari driver: “THIS IS AURA AT ITS FINEST”.

Can Lewis Hamilton perform at Ferrari in 2025?

While the excitement surrounding Hamilton’s new adventure at Ferrari is immense, the question everyone will be asking is if the seven-time champion can be competitive with his new team.

The 40-year-old will feel relaxed after seeing the Maranello outfit’s performance at the end of 2024. Ferrari just missed out on their first constructors’ title since 2008 by 14 points to McLaren – who grabbed their first championship since 1998.

The issue is that Hamilton will need to get accustomed to a new team with a new language. The Brit has spent his entire F1 career with Mercedes machinery – dating back to his time with McLaren.

Furthermore, he will be up against Leclerc, who knows the setup well having been with Ferrari since his academy days in 2016.

Peter Windsor says Hamilton will find driving for Ferrari tougher than Mercedes as he does not have a teammate like Valtteri Bottas who will allow him to dominate. Instead, he will have to fight until the end to get the edge over Leclerc.