Formula 1 Racing

How Hamilton’s Ferrari debut has been going

How Hamilton's Ferrari debut has been going

The fans outside Ferrari’s test track in Fiorano had been there long before dawn. Some had scaled the security fencing, others had brought stepladders and pulled away at the green netting that had been installed to keep out prying eyes and camera lenses.

At one point, the growing throng of Tifosi was five or six people deep, each with craned necks trying to catch a glimpse of Lewis Hamilton’s first lap in a Ferrari F1 car.

Some held their mobile phones aloft trying to film him, many of their devices were shrouded in Ferrari protective cases.

Some whistled, some cheered. History was being made in front of their eyes as Hamilton kicked off his new chapter with F1’s most famous team.

This test, part of F1’s permitted Testing of Previous Car programme, was never intended for the fans or open to the media, who stood outside in unison, but Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari has reinvigorated the excitement in the Scuderia.

Shortly after setting out on his maiden installation lap at 09:16, his Ferrari team posted a short 25-second video on their social media channels saying: “Stepping into a new era. Lewis Hamilton takes his first lap in a Ferrari!”

The video showed him leaving the famous Fiorano office that once belonged to Enzo Ferrari.

Watch: Hamilton makes Ferrari F1 test debut at Fiorano

Hamilton is dressed in his Ferrari red race suit and boots and carrying a yellow helmet, akin to the one he first wore on the kart track in homage to his hero, Ayrton Senna.

He’s filmed walking into the garage in Fiorano and produces a wry smile before putting on his helmet and climbing into the cockpit.

The video shows him pulling out on track, with his racing number 44 on display on the shark fin of the 2023 Ferrari, the SF-23.

The weather is murky and damp, and unsurprisingly the install lap is a slow one across the greasy track with rain imminent.

Perhaps the rain is fortuitous. In some Italian traditions, rain is considered a sign of good luck. On an Italian wedding day, there is a phrase “sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata” – a translation is “wet bride, lucky bride”.

Despite the clouds, there is a perception that Hamilton is already uplifted. The comments across social media are that he looks way cooler in Ferrari red than he ever did at Mercedes.

The staged photos that have been released would certainly prove that he feels comfortable, perhaps more than he even expected.

After completing his laps, Hamilton went…

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