Lewis Hamilton greeted a crowd of eager fans on Wednesday as he drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time since joining the Italian team for the 2025 season, reports AP.
Hamilton took the wheel of a 2023-spec Ferrari SF-23, adorned with his racing number 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track. He sported a new yellow helmet design featuring the iconic Prancing Horse logo.
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The 40-year-old British driver began his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time, amidst light fog, and waved twice to around 1,000 fans who had gathered on a nearby bridge despite the chilly, damp conditions.
Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari has made waves in F1 following his 12-year stint at Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles. He has described the move as fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve things in my career I never imagined, but I’ve always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to make that dream a reality today,” he said on Monday upon arriving at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters for his first day with the team.
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While F1 restricts teams from testing current-spec cars, the rules are more lenient for older models, like the SF-23 Hamilton drove on Wednesday. Pre-season testing for the new season’s cars is scheduled for February 26-28.