"He's been longing for this day all his life": F1 pundit's glowing description of Lewis Hamilton's first run on Ferrari

F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham gave a stunning introduction on air as Lewis Hamilton exited the pitlane for the first time as a Ferrari driver during the F1 Testing in Bahrain on February 26. The British driver announced his move to the Italian team last February, which sent shock waves through the motorsports world.

The seven-time F1 world champion was a part of Mercedes for the last 12 years and won six of his seven titles with them from 2014 to 2020. There had been a lot of anticipation over the last year of seeing Hamilton race in the iconic red overalls of the Scuderia.

During the morning session on Day 1 of the official pre-season testing at the Sakhir International Circuit, Natalie Pinkham gave a glowing description ahead of Lewis Hamilton's first run in the SF-25 on air and said (via F1TV):

"What a sight to behold. You say 38 days, I say 38 years because I think he's been longing for this day all his life. Every driver on the Formula One grid longs to race for the red of the Scuderia."

Hamilton had already done some TPC in the 2023 and 2024 challengers of Ferrari in the past month to better acclimatize himself within the team. But it was the first time, apart from the demo runs, that the 40-year-old got the chance to drive the SF-25 ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.

Lewis Hamilton reflects on joining Ferrari ahead of his first season with them

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he was getting the "biggest buzz" as he was realising that he had finally joined the Italian team.

Speaking with F1.com after the launch of SF-25 on February 19, the British driver reflected on his initial feelings and said:

“I’m getting the biggest buzz every time just putting my kit on. I walk out and there’s the Ferrari sign, and I’m like ‘I’m actually really here’. I’m in this beautiful old building that Enzo had his office in. Each day, I’m reminded that it’s really happening. I’m really proud of the shield.

"And I just want to work as hard as I can with the great people to elevate them and the brand as high as possible. The first week was definitely very emotional. Every time we arrive here [at Fiorano, the team’s private test track], you see the crowd, you see everyone in the garage. It’s always emotional," he added.

Lewis Hamilton will have a day and a half of testing at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain from February 26 to 28, as he shares the duties with teammate Charles Leclerc, to get to the grips of the 2025 challenger ahead of the first race of the season in mid-March.