Lewis Hamilton did not get the chance to drive for Ferrari in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi after the 2024 season finale. This put a lot of anticipation about when would the Briton first drive a scarlet red car. Apparently, that may not be until January, that too, in a private setting in Fiorano.
There have been reports of Ferrari organizing a test run for Hamilton before the 2025 pre-season gets underway in a previous car of theirs. Under the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program, the Briton can test the 2023 car of the Italian outfit.
Per Edd Straw of The Race, this test run in the SF-23 could happen in January 2025 behind closed doors at the Fiorano test track. Now this may not be as spectacular of a first run in a Ferrari as Michael Schumacher had back in 1995.
The German was moving from Benetton to Ferrari in a highly-anticipated move for the 1996 season, hoping to get the Italian team back to championship glory. The Tifosi’s excitement was through the roof and they gathered at the Fiorano track on November 16th, 1995 to watch Schumacher drive a Ferrari for the first time in his career.
However, current Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur doesn’t believe in putting on a spectacle like Jean Todt did back then. “He [Vasseur] said he doesn’t want to put on a show, but instead be focused on development and performance,” Straw said.
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Hamilton’s first official appearance in the Ferrari overalls would be at the ‘F1 75’ season launch on February 18th, 2025. But Ferrari also has plans to welcome the seven-time world champion into their family and will look to make a grand scale event based on past reputation.
Ferrari’s mega 2025 launch for Hamilton
As things stand, Ferrari are the only team to have announced having a separate car launch event besides the ‘F1 75’ event that the FOM wishes to have at the O2 Arena in London. The Prancing Horse will be having a launch event in Fiorano a day later on February 19th.
Naturally, if they are organizing an elaborate event to unveil their 2025 car, they will look to have Hamilton drive it and make it an event that the Tifosi remember for a long time. The Briton himself has shown excitement to become a Ferrari driver, and the Scuderia always reciprocates such passionate feelings.
Nevertheless, Hamilton will get to further drive the 2025 Ferrari challenger across three days at the pre-season testing in Bahrain before he buckles up for his first race for the team two weeks after in Australia. That running in Bahrain will be crucial for the #44 driver to get accustomed to driving a Ferrari car and hit the ground running as the season begins.
