Lewis Hamilton’s long awaited move to Ferrari was completed on Jan 1st 2025. He was denied a run in the current F1 car offering from Maranello in the post season Abu Dhabi test as Mercedes held him to his contractual terms.
The arrival of the seven times world champion in Maranello has caused more than a stir as the local authorities were forced to lay on extra security yesterday when Hamilton arrived at the iconic Ferrari factory. Fans from far and wide had travelled to see their new star driver and footage posted online showed Lewis greeting the frenzied crowd, signing autograph’s before thanking his new team in recently learned Italian phrases.
On his first official day with the team, Hamilton met with team principal Fred Vasseur and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna – together with Piero Ferrari, the only living son of legendary founder Enzo. Lewis also spent some time in the Ferrari simulator and was introduced to his team of engineers, including race engineer Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Hamilton’s predecessors Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel.
Ferrari usual January “wake up” test
The plan for the week included Hamilton’s first on track appearance in red behind the wheel of the 2022 SF-75 car tomorrow this was set to take place at Ferrari’s private circuit in Fiorano. The Fiorano test planned for tomorrow and the week long Barcelona test in February would see Hamilton use the team’s entire 1000km allowance for 2025 leaving nothing left for his team mate Charles Leclerc.
The Scuderia often hold a so-called “wake up test” at Fiorano in January, this is targeted at getting the team and drivers up to speed ahead of the pre-season testing of the new cars. The purpose of the Barcelona test was revealed by Ferrari and it is not to pound around the track, clocking up the miles, but so that Lewis can spend an entire week with the Ferrari race crew to familiarise himself with every aspect of the operation.
Now it appears the best laid plans may have to be revised by Ferrari. Poor weather conditions in the Fiorano region are expected together with temperatures struggling to make 8 degrees celsius. The team will cancel the test should the forecast not improve and may sim ply wait for more fair conditions or they could relocate the outing to Mugello or Imola in the coming days.
Mugello famously was called upon to host the Tuscan Grand Prix during the Covid affected 2020 season. It coincided with Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix and saw Lewis Hamilton win from pole position. A less well known fact about Mugello is that F1 held a rare in season test at the circuit back in 2012 and following a day of mostly wet running, of which Mark Webber commented:
Hamilton test may be relocated
“Did 10 dry laps today around Mugello, which is the same as doing 1000 laps around Abu Dhabi track in terms of satisfaction.#realtracks #fast.” At the time there was a big debate in F1 over the future of the new racing concrete cathedrals being constructed while the traditional circuits were being abandoned.
Having completed a lengthy day in Maranello, Hamilton issued a statement to mark his first day at the team’s iconic home base. “There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Scuderia Ferrari HP driver, is one of those days.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today. I’m incredibly grateful to John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, Fred Vasseur and everyone at Ferrari for their trust in me and making me part of this family.
“I’m so excited to start this new era and to meet and work with a hugely talented and inspiring group of people. I’m dedicated to bringing everything I have to deliver for the team, the wider organisation and the fans. Today we start a new chapter in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together,” concluded the statement.
F1 champ predicts why Leclerc beats “struggling” Hamilton
Ferrari suspension to suit Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed by his standards, three years of misery since the new big rule change in 2022. He has failed to adapt his driving style to the requirements of the new car design and on all metrics other than total points scored over that period was hammered by his team mater George Russell.
Ferrari is hoped to be a reset for the British driver who now 40 years of age is entering the twilight of his career. Yet there is hope that Ferrari may do things quite differently from Mercedes, in terms of car design and the ultimate balance a driver can obtain. The team already announced their 2025 F1 car will return to using Pull-rod suspension at the front, something not seen on a car from Maranello since 2017.
The reason posited by the Italian media is that Hamilton and Leclerc have more similar driving styles than the team’s previous pairing and this style of suspension will favour both Lewis and Charles.
Hamilton’s woes stemmed from his qualifying where he lost out to team mate Russell last year by 19-5. This led to Lewis’ worst season in F1 being realised as he trailed home in seventh place amongst the top four team’s drivers, with just Sergio Perez behind the seven ties world champion.
The dream for Ferrari and most F1 fans alike is that Lewis finds his feet quickly in Maranello and is given a car that suits his driving characteristics, then once again we may see car 44 battling away at the front with Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc and Russell for race victories and even that elusive eight world title.
Jenson Button snubs Michael Schumacher
They were the worst of friends and the worst of team mates, something which can be said of most F1 drivers. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button spent three years together at McLaren before the former announced his shock move to the Mercedes team for 2013.
Hamilton had won a world title in 2008 with McLaren and Button win 2009 with Brawn GP, which ironically became Mercedes where Hamilton was to enjoy huge success. Button is the only F1 team mate who has outscored Hamilton during their time together.
Lewis prevented this from happening between himself and George Russell by outscoring the man from King’s Lynn in the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi. Button extended his career with the team from Woking racing full time between 2010-2016 and in having announced his retirement team boss Ron Dennis made Button an ambassador for McLaren… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
