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Laurence Edmondson
Lewis Hamilton has described his first experience behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car as “one of the best feelings of my life” after making his track debut with his new team in Maranello on Wednesday.
Hamilton completed 30 laps of Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in front of a gathering of fans watching from the nearby Giardini overpass.
Although the day started in thick fog and wet conditions, Hamilton said the experience was unlike any other in his F1 career.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t sure how many more firsts I had, but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning was one of the best feelings of my life,” he said.
“When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again.”
Driving a 2-year-old car to comply with F1’s testing regulations, Hamilton left the garage for the first time at 9:16 a.m. for a single installation lap on wet tyres.
Hamilton was sporting a yellow helmet for the occasion — the same colour he used in the early stages of his F1 career.
Members of his family, including his father Anthony, mother Carmen and stepmother Linda, were present in the garage and were later joined by Piero Ferrari, the son of Ferrari founder Enzo.
For his second run, Hamilton switched to slick tyres and completed flying laps, practice starts and system checks in the SF-23 car.
Ferrari limited his mileage to 89 kilometers, wary of a new rule for 2025 that restricts testing of previous cars (TPC) to 1000 km per year for drivers taking part in the championship.
Hamilton is expected to return to action in a 2-year-old car at the Circuit de Catalunya later this month.
After his 30 laps behind the wheel, Hamilton completed a post-session debrief with his new engineering team, which includes his race engineer for 2025, Riccardo Adami.
Adami is essentially staying in his role after engineering Carlos Sainz, the driver Hamilton is replacing, in recent years.
Once his work was done, the seven-time champion walked out to the track to wave to the fans that had come to witness his first laps in a Ferrari.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi!” Hamilton said. “But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring.
“That passion runs through their veins and you can’t help but be energised by it. I’m so grateful for the love I have felt from everyone in Maranello this week, we have a lot of work to do but I can’t wait to get started.”
Hamilton’s new teammate Charles Leclerc was also present at the test day and completed 14 laps in the same car.
Team principal Fred Vasseur said his team achieved its objective for the day despite the wet weather and limited running.
“As is the case every year, the first time you go out on track is a bit like the first day back at school and quite an emotional feeling, especially today as it was Lewis’ first day as part of the team,” he said.
“Welcoming a new driver is always an important moment. Maybe today was less special for Charles, but it was good to see him fit, relaxed and keen to go racing again.
“As for the technical side, Charles and Lewis did their laps in not the best weather, but they got back in the swing of things and immersed themselves in the track environment prior to the first proper test in a month’s time in Bahrain,” Vasseur continued.
“It was also a warmup for the team in the garage. That was the sole purpose of today.”
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