When Will Lewis Hamilton Drive Ferrari for First Time?

A new era in Formula 1 has officially started today as Lewis Hamilton begins the New Year as a Ferrari driver. Since his announcement of joining the Scuderia early last year, there has been immense hype around his debut. Now, it appears as though a schedule has been revealed to see him roll out in the iconic red overalls for the first time.

The earliest that the #44 driver could have driven for the team was at the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi. However, Mercedes did not release the seven-time world champion for that test owing to certain sponsorship obligations as explained by team principal Toto Wolff.

But now as his time with the Silver Arrows is over, he is free to begin his tenure in Maranello. Reports suggest that Hamilton will most likely test an older-spec Ferrari F1 car at their private test track in Fiorano later this month. He is expected to be strapped behind the wheel of the SF-75 somewhere around January 20th to 25th.

| Lewis Hamilton will make his first appearance in a Ferrari Formula 1 car some time between January 20 – 25, testing a previous car (likely the F1-75 of 2022) in Fiorano.

Matter of time ⏳ pic.twitter.com/XnySl0wj2R

— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) January 1, 2025

After a pretty daunting last season with Mercedes, Hamilton had expressed his desire to focus on a reset before jumping ship to the Scuderia. The poor pace of the W15 had left the 39-year-old downbeat.

Naturally, as the season concluded in Abu Dhabi, the #44 driver embarked on a getaway. Now, he will only want to focus on his F1 duties with Ferrari once he has recharged his batteries — thus, explaining why his debut with the Prancing Horse has been pushed later in this month.

Hamilton is ready to jump into a Ferrari after holiday from Mercedes’ woes

After a bitter end to his Mercedes driving career, Hamilton was quoted by Sky Sports F1 as saying, “I could happily go and take a holiday.” But once he is done recouping, the Briton will be eager to get down to business with his engineers in Maranello.

As is with all driver transfers, the 39-year-old will have to acclimatize himself with his new car. That said, Ferrari are doing everything possible to make him comfortable from the get-go, including changing the car philosophy to suit his driving style.

As far as Hamilton’s official Ferrari debut is concerned, the seven-time world champion will roll out in the 2025 car for the first time during pre-season testing, scheduled for the 26th, 27th, and 28th of February at the Sakhir International Circuit in Bahrain.

Fans won’t have to wait too long after that to see the Briton in his first Grand Prix for the iconic Italian squad. The season-opener will be hosted at the Albert Park Circuit on the 13th of March.