Lewis Hamilton completes first laps as a Ferrari driver at Fiorano
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Lewis Hamilton has sealed a lifelong ambition by completing his first laps as a Ferrari driver. Hamilton, who turned 40 earlier this month, left his garage at 9:16 local time (8:16am GMT) as he took to the Italian team’s private test circuit at Fiorano in foggy conditions.
The seven-time world champion is testing a 2023 Ferrari – the latest model he is allowed to use – and is permitted to drive 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) under Formula One’s rules. Following his test at Fiorano, Hamilton is set to complete further miles at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya before the sport’s official three-day pre-season test starts in Bahrain on February 26.
Hamilton has enjoyed a whirlwind week at the Italian team’s base in Maranello after meeting up with his new colleagues following his blockbuster transfer from Mercedes. He posted a picture on his social media accounts dressed in red – an image that attracted 1.5 million ‘likes’ inside an hour of it being uploaded to Instagram.
Hamilton, who is bidding to become the first driver to win eight world titles, said on Monday: “There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days. “I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today.
