- The 40-year-old left Mercedes after 12 years of untold success with the team
- Seven-time world champion will now look to win a historic eighth title in red
- Hamilton’s Italian move will be overseen by returning ally Angela Cullen
Lewis Hamilton has shared the first picture of himself wearing Ferrari’s iconic red racing suit after starting his new era at the constructor this week.
The seven-time world champion announced his shock move to his boyhood team at the start of 2024, calling time on 12 years driving for Mercedes.
After winning the lion’s share of his world titles with the British team, Hamilton was then forced to endure a nightmare farewell season which saw him outqualified by his team-mate George Russell at every race weekend in 2024.
Hamilton was able to claim the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Belgium Grand Prix, but otherwise saw himself finish seventh in the drivers’ standings.
But the British driver will be excited at the prospect of a new start, and has been sharing new glimpses of his life in Italy after jetting to Maranello earlier this week to begin his life as a Ferrari driver.
After posing clad in a dark designer suit and overcoat in front of a Ferrari F40, Hamilton chased the image with one dressed in the Prancing Horse’s unmistakable red suit.
Lewis Hamilton has shared a picture of himself posing in Ferrari’s iconic red racing suit
The 40-year-old has arrived in Maranello ahead of taking to the constructor’s track for the first time after his move
Hamilton waved goodbye to Mercedes after 12 years at the constructor where he won the lion’s share of his world championships
‘FIRST TIME IN RED,’ Hamilton captioned the image.
Mail Sport reported on Sunday that Hamilton is set to take to Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Wednesday for the first time since his landmark deal was announced.
He will drive an old Ferrari, probably the 2023 car – the latest model allowed under the TCP (testing of previous cars) rule that permits a driver 1,000km (620 miles) of in-house practice.
The Briton is then expected to step up his on-track acclimatisation programme in Barcelona at the end of the month.
Hamilton will also take part in the official F1-wide test in Bahrain next month, in the new 2025 car, before making his race debut as Charles Leclerc’s team-mate at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
But alongside him will be a familiar face, with Mail Sport exclusively revealing on Monday that Hamilton is set to be reunited with his trusted aid Angela Cullen for the first time in two years.
Hamilton took a tour of Ferrari’s factory after landing in Italy to start his new era with the team
Avid fans camped out at Fiorano in a bid to catch a glimpse of the seven-time world champion
The 50-year-old New Zealand physio – whom Hamilton previously described as ‘one of the best things that has happened to me in my life’ – is staying in Fiorano after re-joining his Mission 44 team.
After arriving in Italy at the start of the week, Hamilton was immediately given a tour around Ferrari’s factory by luminaries including his new team principal Frederic Vasseur.
He also met key figures including his new race engineer Riccardo Adami, who stays in post after fulfilled the same role for Hamilton’s predecessor Carlos Sainz.
