Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was emotional after joining the Italian team and compared his initial feeling to the "first day of school." The British driver made his first official appearance as a Ferrari driver in public on January 20 when he visited the factory in Maranello.
The 40-year-old had an introductory meeting with the staff and looked around the iconic factory in Italy. In a video released by the Scuderia on their official YouTube channel, the seven-time F1 world champion is seen greeting his new team members inside the factory.
While describing the feeling of being a Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton said:
“I can’t believe it. So I ran this track, three laps, yesterday morning. It was great. I did three laps, so 6.2 miles. I’ve seen photos of this. When I was down into the hairpin over there, and I was looking back over here, I was like ‘Oh my god.’ It hit me in waves."
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“It’s been such a dream to come here and have this experience. It's amazing to have my parents here with my dad and my two moms. Been a long, long way. It's the first day of work.......first day of school."
On January 22, the Brit had his first run in a red car when he did a couple of laps around Ferrari's private track in Fiorano. However, he got a much better feel of the SF23 when he completed one and a half days in the TPC in Barcelona.
Carlos Sainz gives his take on Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari
Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz felt Lewis Hamilton had a "very high chance" of competing for a title in the 2025 season with Ferrari.
Sainz, who left the Italian team at the end of the 2024 season and was replaced by the Brit, spoke about the position of the Scuderia heading into the upcoming season. He said (via The Guardian):
“When I left Ferrari I did feel the team and Charles were ready to fight for a world championship and with Lewis joining that chance is only going to increase. When I look at Lewis’s results, his background, and what he has achieved, I can only say that there will be a very high chance that he is going to be competitive for Ferrari."
"But like everything, it will all depend on how well he can adapt to the car and how well he can adapt to the team,” Sainz added.
Ferrari finished the 2024 season with five race wins and was just 14 points behind McLaren, the eventual constructors' champions. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has not been in the running for a title fight since the end of the 2021 season.
