Lewis Hamilton has pushed a Ferrari Method 1 automobile for the primary time at his new workforce’s take a look at observe in Italy.
Hamilton began work on the well-known Prancing Horse’s Maranello manufacturing facility for the primary time on Monday having left Mercedes on the finish of 2024 after 12 years with the Silver Arrows.
The seven-time champion surprised F1 final February by signing for Ferrari from this 12 months within the sport’s highest-profile switch of all time and his maiden run in considered one of their iconic pink automobiles has been eagerly anticipated since then.
And on Wednesday morning, Hamilton drove the workforce’s 2023 automobile round their Fiorano observe, which is adjoining to the workforce’s manufacturing facility.
Sky Sports activities Information’ cameras – and reporter Craig Slater – have been available to seize the historic second, which occurred as Hamilton started his operating at 9.16am native time.
Having launched a primary photograph of Hamilton in a pink race swimsuit on Tuesday night, Ferrari shared the Brit’s new helmet in a social media submit on Wednesday morning shortly earlier than he took to the observe.
The blockbuster Hamilton-Ferrari transfer has united F1’s most-successful driver in historical past with the most-successful workforce.
Hamilton, who turned 40 earlier this month, has gained a file 105 races and a joint-best seven world championships, whereas Ferrari prepared the ground on the all-time tables for each drivers’ (15) and constructors’ title (16) triumphs.
However the Scuderia haven’t gained any title since 2008, though a robust finish to final season noticed them end inside 14 factors of recent constructors’ champions McLaren in second place.
Why was Hamilton testing an outdated Ferrari and what is the take a look at’s objective?
F1’s testing rules away from race weekends have lengthy been restricted on cost-control grounds.
All groups are nonetheless working flat-out on their new 2025 automobiles behind closed doorways at their respective factories with simply over a month to go till pre-season testing takes place in Bahrain (February 26-28).
With the newest challengers nonetheless subsequently in improvement, Ferrari have taken benefit of the regulation that enables groups to run automobiles from sure current seasons in an effort to give Hamilton an early style of their working practices on the race observe and the distinctive facets of their automobiles.
It additionally offers Hamilton a primary probability to pattern a Ferrari engine, having solely used Mercedes energy over the primary 18 years of his F1 profession at first McLaren after which the German producer’s personal workforce.
The Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC) rule for 2025 permits groups to run automobiles from the 2023, 2022 or 2021 seasons though, in a change for this 12 months, present race drivers’ operating in such equipment is capped to 1,000km throughout a most 4 days by way of the calendar 12 months.
Ferrari are utilizing the primary of their TPC days at Fiorano.
Workforce boss Frederic Vasseur additionally indicated earlier than Christmas that Hamilton may characteristic in considered one of Pirelli’s tyre take a look at days in January and February.
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Method 1 season dwell on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
