Lewis Hamilton has now arrived at Maranello as he officially begins life as a Ferrari driver.
Ferrari fans have been waiting for nearly a year to see Lewis Hamilton make his first appearance at their factory.
The seven-time world champion posted a picture on social media confirming his arrival at Enzo Ferrari’s iconic home.
Hamilton’s first duties as a Ferrari driver will take place on Monday, but he won’t be stepping into a car just yet.
The 40-year-old will meet many of the staff who are going to be working on his car – including race engineer Riccardo Adami – before taking part in a seat fitting.
Hamilton will then take part in his first simulator session as he begins the difficult task of adapting to a brand-new car.
Hamilton’s first test for Ferrari is also set to take place this week but he’s likely to be driving a 2022 F1 car due to strict testing rules, according to Autosport.
Many drivers won’t run in their new 2025 vehicles until they reach pre-season testing in Bahrain.
However, a report from The Race has shared that Hamilton might take advantage of Formula 1’s testing rules to get a small head start on his rivals.
Lewis Hamilton to drive Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car at Fiorano before Bahrain pre-season testing
Hamilton is only allowed to do 1,000 km of testing this year in Ferrari’s previous cars across four days.
He’s expected to do this at Ferrari’s private testing track at Fiorano and later in the month at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
However, Hamilton also has the opportunity to take part in demonstration and promotion runs, the latter better known as a filming day.
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Hamilton is expected to complete a short run alongside teammate Charles Leclerc at Fiorano before heading to Bahrain for pre-season.
While a demonstration run is limited to just 15 km, a filming day allows a driver to do 200 km of running.
Only two of each of these events is allowed per driver per year, with a demo run typically saved to shake down a car before testing and give partners the chance to film the cars for their own promotional material.
Lewis Hamilton will start the 2025 F1 season on the back foot compared to Charles Leclerc
F1’s testing rules mean that Hamilton and Leclerc will have to share Ferrari’s 2025 car over three days of pre-season testing at the Sakhir circuit.
It’s likely to give Leclerc an initial advantage as he will be more accustomed to Ferrari’s car and the team’s processes and procedures.
Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit will give Hamilton a good indication of his latest car and whether it’s going to be a championship contender or not.
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Mick Schumacher – who was previously a Ferrari junior driver – said to the press, via Planet F1, in 2018 about Fiorano: “It’s one of the most beautiful places to see an F1 car. We are so close and see almost every corner.
“There is so much history here. Knowing how many laps my father has done here and now myself is very special and emotional.
“I am very happy that Ferrari has given me the opportunity to do some more laps here and it reminds me of the times when I was a little boy sitting on the grandstand there.”
Hamilton will get a much better idea about whether or not he’ll be competitive this year once he arrives at the F1 circuit at Sakhir.
But every mile of running he can do before the lights go out at the Australian Grand Prix will benefit the 40-year-old immensely.
