Fans go wild as Hamilton steps into ‘new era’ with Ferrari

Fans gathered outside Ferrari’s test track in Fiorano well before dawn. Some people climbed the security fence, while others brought stepladders to pull apart the green netting that had been installed to prevent prying eyes and camera lenses.

At one point, the growing crowd at the Tifosi was reduced to five or six people, each craning their neck to catch a glimpse of Lewis Hamilton’s first lap in a Ferrari F1 car.

Some held their phones aloft to take pictures of him, many of their devices wrapped in protective Ferrari cases.

Some whistled, others cheered. As Hamilton begins a new chapter with F1’s most famous team, history is being made before their eyes.

The test was part of an F1-sanctioned legacy car testing program and was not intended for fans or open to the media, who stood en masse outside the venue, but Hamilton arrived at Ferrari. This reinvigorated the excitement in the Scuderia.

Shortly after starting his first installation lap at 9:16am, his Ferrari team posted a short 25-second video on its social media channels, saying it had “taken a step into a new era”. Lewis Hamilton takes his first lap in a Ferrari! ”

A video showed him leaving the famous Fiorano offices that once worked for Enzo Ferrari.

Tifosi Ferrari a Fiorano

Photo credit: Davide Cavazza

Hamilton wears a red Ferrari race suit and boots and a yellow helmet similar to the one he first wore at the kart track in honor of his hero Ayrton Senna.

He was photographed walking into Fiorano’s garage, smiling wryly before donning a helmet and climbing into the cockpit.

The video shows him driving out onto the track in his 2023 Ferrari SF-23 with racing number 44 emblazoned on the shark fin.

The weather was cloudy and humid and unsurprisingly the installation lap was slow on a oily track that looked like it was going to rain.

Perhaps it rained by chance. In some Italian traditions, rain is considered a sign of good luck. There is a saying in Italian weddings: “sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata,” which literally means “wet bride, lucky bride.”

Despite the bad weather, there is already a perception that Hamilton is on a high. Comments across social media are that he looks much cooler in Ferrari red than he did in his Mercedes days.

The released stage photos will surely prove that he feels more comfortable than he probably expected.

After completing his lap, Hamilton headed to the fence and greeted the fans outside the circuit.

lewis hamilton, ferrari

Photo credit: Davide Cavazza

Ever since he announced he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari 12 months ago, there has been a line of high-profile people warning the 40-year-old that he would face a cultural challenge at Ferrari.

It made sense. The language barrier, the fact that he has never raced with a Ferrari engine, and Ferrari’s unique operating methods will all be new to Hamilton.

Despite this, he has wisely chosen teams close to him as he integrates.

His company, Project Forty Four, has grown to include several new employees. Commercial Manager Kel Akpobile joined the company eight months ago from global talent agency CAA.

Joe Livingstone, a global communications specialist who worked with Mr Hamilton during his time at PR firm Freud, also joined, along with chief legal officer Anding Fonyonga.

They join a team that includes Ellen Colby-Hansen, who has worked with Hamilton as driver liaison since his time at McLaren. The operation is led by Mark Hines, a former racing driver and Hamilton’s most trusted lieutenant.

New to the company is Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s physiotherapist and the man behind six of his seven world titles with Mercedes.

Surrounding himself with people he knows and trusts working in the background will allow Hamilton to build those relationships within Ferrari.

lewis hamilton, ferrari

Photo courtesy of Ferrari

One of the ways in which Michael Schumacher, who joined from Benetton in 1996, was associated with Ferrari was not just his famous work ethic, or indeed his lack of public criticism of the team. It got even deeper.

Schumacher needed to learn what was important to the Ferrari team, and to do so he took the time to get to know the staff, learning their names, birthdays, children’s names and their interests.

Hamilton is likely to adopt the same principles to help himself. So while all the attention is focused on his first lap with Ferrari, the real foundation for building relationships within the team will need full support if they are to win an eighth world title. It’s starting now.

Also read: