Why Ferrari Arranged Lewis Hamilton’s First Test in Fiorano?

Lewis Hamilton s Ferrari Test Lewis Hamilton drives a Scuderia Ferrari car for the first time at Circuito di Fiorano in Fiorano Modenese, Italy

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.

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.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
ferrari Lewis Hamilton

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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