Ferrari released a sneak peek into their preparations for Lewis Hamilton's impending induction. In a social media video, the seven-time world champion's name was added to the door alongside Charles Leclerc. However, fans noticed the order of the names and made wild speculations.
Hamilton is officially a Scuderia Ferrari driver, as his contract with Mercedes came to an end on New Year's. The 39-year-old, who spent more than a decade with the Silver Arrows, winning six championships, has decided to embrace a new challenge at the closing end of his glorious career.
Lewis Hamilton announced his decision to switch to Ferrari in February 2024. However, his official induction into the Italian team is yet to happen. Ahead of the car launch event in February 2025, the seven-time world champion is likely to arrive in Maranello.
Meanwhile, ahead of the highly anticipated event, preparations in Italy are in full swing. Ferrari dropped a teaser where they added Hamilton's name on the door alongside Charles Leclerc. However, fans in the comment section derived different narratives from it.
A fan suggested a theory that since Leclerc's name was put first, he will be Ferrari's lead driver in the 2025 season.
"So Leclerc is 'number 1' driver," said a fan.
"So it's a hint that Hamilton's a second driver and Charles is 1st Or just a coincidence," another fan added.
"Lewis's name should be on the top," a user wrote.
"see how they put Charles' name above Lewis' #uncomfortableconversations," a fan commented.
Amid this, a user also pointed out how Ferrari sneaked a reference to Hamilton's iconic phrase 'Hammer Time.'
"Sneaky reference to Hammer time ❤️," a fan pointed out.
"RELAX EVERYBODY! IT'S ALPHABETICAL ORDER!," a fan proposed.
Hamilton will team up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and replace Carlos Sainz to form a formidable pair.
Ferrari likely to arrange testing for Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton missed post-season testing with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi as he had contract obligations with Mercedes left to be fulfilled. However, entering 2025, the seven-time world champion is officially a Scuderia Ferrari driver.
According to Motorsportweek, the Italian team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that Ferrari has arranged a TPC (Testing of Previous Car) session for Hamilton at the Barcelona circuit later this month. In a four-day session, the 39-year-old will drive Ferrari's old models for two days, and the rest of the time will be used to introduce him to the engineers.
A few rumors also suggest that Riccardo Adami will be appointed as Hamilton's race engineer in due time. Adami previously worked with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and 8-time race winner Carlos Sainz and possesses over two decades of experience in Formula 1.