Lewis Hamilton realised a boyhood dream by driving his first Ferrari car at Maranello this week, following in the footsteps of icons such as Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda.
He participated in a first test ride ahead of the 2025 season and his emotion was clear for all to see over the team radio.
Hamilton described the experience as “one of the best feelings of my life” recalling the 40-year-old’s first day at Ferrari headquarters.
After an installation lap, the Brit spoke to his new race engineer Riccardo Adami over the radio and said: “Wow. Whew. It’s a… wow. That was amazing.”
Fans took to the streets in droves as Maranello beamed at the sight of their new star attraction, though there may take some getting used to Hamilton speaking to Adami rather than Peter Bonnington.
Hamilton has worked closely with ‘Bono’ since joining forces at Mercedes in 2013, becoming an iconic duo over the past decade, though the man with the famous ‘Hammer Time’ catchphrase will be staying behind at the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton is teaming up with Angela Cullen once again, a staunch ally who was present in the driver’s inner circle for four of his six world titles.
The trainer was spotted inside Ferrari garages and although the move has not been confirmed, speculation is rife that the Kiwi will be by Hamilton’s side once again.
“People for sure won’t understand it, naturally, because they see it from a distance, but she has been one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in my life,” Hamilton said in March 2023 when they parted ways.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of people and she’s the single hardest-working woman that I get to be around.
“She’s focused, selfless and she makes my weekends peaceful. Every day I wake up, whatever time it is, she’s just positive – never a single day has she been negative, so that’s very, very important.
“I think it’s important in life to put positive people around you. You can’t be going around with deadweights, you can’t be going around with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down. You need to be around people who can do that for you and she’s one of them.”
With over a thousand people watching on as Hamilton graced the Fiorano circuit, driving the SF-23 from two years ago, the seven-time world champion’s warmth could not be more evident.
Hamilton will begin his first Formula One season as a Ferrari driver on March 14, when the campaign kicks off in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
