Lewis Hamilton was spotted at Maranello on Monday morning for the first time since he agreed a deal to join Ferrari last year.
Pictures posted online by Instagram account raceday official showed Lewis Hamilton suited and booted as he entered the facility and, upon hearing the news, Ferrari fans gathered outside the building en masse to get a glimpse of the seven-time world champion.
Lewis Hamilton is expected to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time at the Scuderia’s Fiorano test track on Wednesday, subject to a rejig if bad weather intervenes.
He will drive an old Ferrari, probably the 2023 car – the latest model allowed under F1 TPC (testing of previous cars) rules – that permits a driver 1,000km (620 miles) of in-house practice.
Hours after his arrival at Maranello, Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram to express his excitement over racing in red, stating that he ‘couldn’t be happier’.
‘There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,’ he said.
‘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 realise that dream today.
‘Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together.’
Hamilton has just over a month to ease into life in scarlet red before pre-season testing commences in Bahrain on February 26.
And it will be a short turnaround until the campaign kicks off in Melbourne, with the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix arriving just 15 days later on March 13.
Hamilton is seeking his record-breaking eighth World Drivers’ title in 2025 and Ferrari’s first Constructors’ championship in nearly two decades.
He will pocket around £45million per year and is on a multi-year deal with F1’s oldest manufacturer.
The exact length of his contract has not been explicitly specified, but Ferrari team principal Fred Vassuer may have accidentally alluded to it last summer.
Speaking about Hamilton’s shock decision to leave Mercedes after 11 years, he said: ‘He [Hamilton] had to make a choice: “Where do I have the biggest chance to win the World Championship in 2025, ’26, ’27?”
‘He said, “Ferrari’,” Vasseur told the Financial Times, implying that the superstar driver may be at Ferrari for three seasons.
Ahead of Hamilton on the list of F1’s top earners is reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who takes home £58.9m with Red Bull.
Lando Norris completes the podium in third, earning £27.5m, while Hamilton’s new team-mate Leclerc rakes in £21.2m.