Image credit: Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton has been at Ferrari for almost a month now. His first few weeks have included meeting all the staff and employees at Ferrari’s F1 HQ at Maranello, taking his first few laps in a Ferrari F1 car at the Fiorano test track, conducting some Pirelli tyre testing at Barcelona and launching the new car at F1 75 Live.
The pictures from Lewis’ first day are now iconic. But Ferrari recently released a behind the scenes video showing us a little more detail about what actually went on behind the factory doors when Lewis arrived.
Image credit: Ferrari
Everyone recognises that the last couple of seasons at Mercedes had been a low point for Lewis. Constantly frustrated with a car he couldn’t gel with, his win at Silverstone in 2024 was an incredible moment in what otherwise would be a forgettable couple of seasons for him.
Hamilton needed his mojo back. One thing that’s obvious to see in this new video is how excited and energised he appears to be. And that’s exactly what Lewis said at the F1 75 Launch event when interviewed on stage: “I feel so full of life, so full of energy because everything’s new and I’m focused on what’s ahead.”
In the video from his first few days at Maranaello, he greets every employee with a laugh, a smile, a handshake and a hug. You sense that in every office he enters, every factory department he meets, he has an aura of authority and greatness that captivates everyone around him.
As the video progresses, Lewis gets a peek at the Ferrari restoration centre where he spots his dream classic Ferrari. And no, it’s not an F40 as we all thought.
Then he heads to the Fiorano test track, Ferrari’s private circuit, to get his first taste of what the Ferrari car feels like to drive. He starts by talking a walk on the circuit during a misty morning and reflects on where life has taken him: “It’s been such a dream to come here and have this experience, I’ve got my parents here, my dad and my two mums.”
Image credit: Ferrari
Lewis then gets to sample the Ferrari machinery for the first time. He does so in a car that’s a couple of years old, the SF-23 from 2023, under the Testing Previous Cars (TPC) regulations.
After some successful installation laps he debriefs with his engineers, before heading back out to the circuit to complete one of the most important jobs; greeting the waiting Tifosi.
Image credit: Ferrari
In Italy, especially around Maranello, Ferrari is a religion. The fans, the Tifosi, are the most passionate in the world and hundreds of them had climbed a bank on the edge of the test track to catch a glimpse of their new driver.
They can be heard chanting his name and shouting ‘Forza Ferrari’ as well as waving huge flags and banners.
And one banner in particular had an incredible message on it that perfectly captures the feelings of millions of F1 fans around the world.
It reads “Bienvenuto lewis, fino a ieri rivale, ora una de noi”, which translated means “Welcome Lewis, until yesterday a rival, now one of us.”
Image credit: Ferrari
That shockingly simple message sums everything up perfectly.
Ferrari employees have been collectively working together to produce a race car that can beat Lewis for the last 18 seasons during his time at McLaren and Mercedes. He’s consistently been their number 1 rival and they’ve done everything they can to get the better of him.
Now all of that is forgotten, the past 18 years of rivalry erased. Ferrari staff and fans have welcomed him with open arms and immediately embraced him as their new star, and I’m with them.
Let’s hope he can produce another couple of seasons of magic to finish off his career in style.
