BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton drives Ferrari F1 car for first time as pictures emerge from Italy
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Lewis Hamilton has driven a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time. Hamilton took the his new team's Fiorano test track on Wednesday in their 2023 car. With an updated livery featuring the Brit's iconic number 44, the seven-time F1 champion finally achieved his childhood dream of getting behind the wheel of the Scuderia's famous red machinery.
Hamilton enjoyed his first day at Ferrari earlier this week with a tour of the team's base in Maranello and Fiorano. He met with fans and staff in Italy including his new race engineer Riccardo Adami and team principal Frederic Vasseur. And on Wednesday finally emerged the images that Ferrari fans have been waiting almost a year to see - photos of Hamilton on track in a red car. Hamilton took the SF-23 used in the 2023 F1 season for a spin despite foggy conditions at the Fiorano track.
He left the garage for his long-anticipated first run at 9.16am local time. And, at the same time, a large group of Ferrari fans gathered outside the gates of the circuit to cheer on their new superstar, some waving British flags to show their support for Hamilton.
The 40-year-old was very recognisable in a brand new race helmet for the occasion. Bright yellow in colour, it stood out clearly from the deep red of the Ferrari car after the team had shown off the details in a social media post on Wednesday morning, shortly before his test run began.
And the night before, Hamilton had already shared the first image of himself wearing Ferrari's race kit. They were the sort of images that F1 fans around the globe have been waiting almost a year to see, since his announcement on February 1, 2024, that he was going to leave Mercedes for his new team.
