Lewis Hamilton completes first Ferrari test at Fiorano as F1 2025 plans step up

Lewis Hamilton took a moment to salute the crowd during his first Ferrari test at Fiorano
Lewis Hamilton has completed his first test as a Ferrari driver at Fiorano as the seven-time World Champion’s preparations for the F1 2025 season step up.
Almost a year after his shock switch to Ferrari from Mercedes was announced, Hamilton has linked up with his new employers for the first time this week ahead of the new season.
Lewis Hamilton completes first Ferrari test at Fiorano
After a visit to the team’s Maranello factory on Monday, the 40-year-old took to the track?for the first time at the team’s test Fiorano test track on Wednesday morning.
Early on a misty morning, Hamilton was seen leaving the nearby house used as an office by legendary team founder Enzo Ferrari before walking the short distance to Ferrari’s garage facility at Fiorano.
Hamilton was carrying his new crash helmet for the F1 2025 season, with the bright yellow colours a nod to the design he used during the earliest days of his illustrious career.
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At around 9:20am local time, Hamilton emerged for the first time?behind the wheel of the SF-23, the car driven in competition by team-mate Charles Leclerc and predecessor Carlos Sainz in 2023, for a brief installation lap.
Hamilton was seen waving from his new cockpit to the hundreds of fans in attendance at the circuit to witness his maiden Ferrari test in the flesh.
With light rain falling at Fiorano, Hamilton completed a series of runs of around 10 laps each as well as a number of practice starts.
Hamilton is understood to have accumulated around 30 laps in total over the course of his introductory test.
After his running was over, the seven-time World Champion made his way over to the spectator areas to greet the Tifosi, having received a warm reception from Ferrari’s hardcore fans since his arrival on Monday.
Leclerc, who joined Ferrari at the start of 2019, is expected to take over from Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon for his first on-track outing of 2025.
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The Fiorano test represents the first stage of a packed winter schedule for Hamilton ahead of his first season as a Ferrari driver.
Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to continue their F1 2025 preparations with a second private test next week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The drivers will then present Ferrari’s new livery at F1’s first-ever collective season-launch event in London before the team’s 2025 car – codenamed Project 677 – is officially launched the following day.
Leclerc and Hamilton are expected to conduct a brief shakedown with Project 677 – development of which has been overseen by Hamilton’s former Mercedes colleague Loic Serra – before an official F1 pre-season test is held in Bahrain across February 26-28.
The drivers are then set to return to Italy to appear in a special event organised by Ferrari and new major sponsor Unicredit in early March before jetting off to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16.
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