Lewis Hamilton made his track debut for Ferrari, earlier last week, at the Scuderia’s private test track in Fiorano. The seven-time world champion rolled out in the 2023-spec SF-23 for a few laps in front of an adoring Tifosi waiting by the circuit.
However, the Briton’s pre-season testing schedule is far from over as the team will fly to Barcelona this week for a series of track days at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. But if Ferrari had to give Hamilton track time at a conventional circuit, why did they debut him at Fiorano anyway?
This was answered by The Race’s Jon Noble as he explained the significance behind the 40-year-old’s Ferrari debut. “It’s [for] practical reasons. [It] was about, you know, understanding the systems [and] working with the engineers, understanding the team,” he said on their YouTube channel.
Lewis Hamilton will have two tests at Barcelona before testing:
– A 3 day test on 28-30 January with the SF-23
– A Pirelli test on 4-5 February, testing prototype rubber ahead of the technical regulations’ overhaul in 2026, which includes narrower tyres#F1 pic.twitter.com/Nziqz9O26G
— The F1 Journal (@thef1journal_) January 27, 2025
Noble went on to explain that Ferrari wanted Hamilton to get acclimatized with the braking, steering inputs, power unit characteristics, and other details exclusive to the Ferrari F1 car before dumping him on a proper F1 track for meaningful running.
Moreover, it was a historic moment for the Ferrari brand, onboarding the only other seven-time world champion onto their team. And they’d rather unveil him at home turf and before the Tifosi than anywhere else.
Hamilton’s rapturous Ferrari welcome and what’s ahead for 2025
Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello was a momentous occasion for the Briton himself, the team, and the fans. He was greeted outside the Ferrari facilities by hundreds of Tifosi, and his first test was witnessed by over 1,000 fans.
The former Mercedes driver was feeling the love from the adoring Ferrari fans and even greeted them as he jumped out of the SF-23 after the first day of running. But with all the fanfare now concluded, he and the Italian team will be focused on the upcoming 2025 season.
The Scuderia lost out on the Constructors’ title by the barest of margins to McLaren, last year, at the season-finale in Abu Dhabi. But this also means that they go into 2025 on the front foot — having a race-winning package in the last year of the current regulations.
Moreover, early reports coming from Maranello suggest that the team is quite pleased with the progress they’ve made on their 2025 car. With a strong package underneath them and a rejuvenated Hamilton, maybe 2025 is the year that the team ends its 16-year-long title drought.
