Watch: Lewis Hamilton meets Ferrari team members on his first visit to Maranello

Lewis Hamilton met several Ferrari team members on his first visit to Maranello on January 20 ahead of his first year with the Italian team. The British driver's arrival in the town was long-awaited since his move to the most successful F1 team in the sport's history was announced in February last year.

The former Mercedes driver began his tenure with the iconic brand by meeting his team members at the base while interacting with key team personnel like chairman John Elkann, team principal Fred Vasseur, and CEO Benedetto Vigna.

In the video floating on social media, Hamilton greeted Ferrari team members and acclimatized himself to a new culture.

In his first statement since joining the team, Hamilton spoke about the new chapter in his racing career and life. He said:

"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 realize that dream today.

"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."

Lewis Hamilton will have a short window to integrate himself within the team as the official pre-season testing is just a month away in Bahrain.

Red Bull team boss comments on the Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari partnership

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that Lewis Hamilton needed the Ferrari partnership as his dynamic with Mercedes had gotten "stale." Speaking with RacingNews365, Horner said:

“He obviously felt, and it looked from the outside looking in, that the relationship between them [Hamilton and Mercedes] had perhaps become a bit stale, so he felt that he needed to make a move. It might just be the impetus and motivation that he needs to fire himself up again.”

The 40-year-old had only won two races in the last three years, all coming in 2024 at Silverstone and Spa, and had struggled to adjust to the new ground-effect era of cars. He also failed to showcase a consistent pace over one lap which made him question his own declining performance levels.

With his move to Ferrari in 2025, Lewis Hamilton will pair alongside Charles Leclerc for the next two years, with a possible option to extend for another year. He and Leclerc hope to take the Scuderia back to its glory days and deliver their first title since 2008.