How Hamilton's debut at Ferrari went

The fans outside the Ferrari test track at Fiorano were there well before dawn. Some had climbed the security barrier, others had taken stepladders and moved away from the green net installed to protect from prying eyes and the camera lenses.

At one point, the growing Tifosi crowd numbered five or six people, each with craned necks trying to catch a glimpse of Lewis Hamilton’s first lap in a Ferrari F1.

Some held up their cell phones to try to film him, many of their devices wrapped in protective Ferrari cases.

Some whistled, others clapped. History was being made before their eyes as Hamilton opened his new chapter with F1’s most famous team.

This test, part of F1’s authorized testing program for previous cars, was never intended for fans or open to the media, who stood in unison outside, but Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari has reinvigorated enthusiasm within the Scuderia.

Shortly after completing his first installation lap at 9:16 a.m., his Ferrari team posted a short 25-second video on their social media saying: “Entering a new era. Lewis Hamilton takes his first lap in a Ferrari!

The video showed him leaving the famous Fiorano office once owned by Enzo Ferrari.

Watch: Hamilton makes Ferrari F1 test debut at Fiorano

Hamilton is dressed in his red Ferrari racing suit and boots and wears a yellow helmet, similar to the one he first wore on the karting track in homage to his hero, Ayrton Senna.

He was filmed entering Fiorano’s garage and flashes a wry smile before putting on his helmet and climbing into the cockpit.

The video shows him pulling out onto the track, with his racing number 44 displayed on the shark fin of the 2023 Ferrari, the SF-23.

The weather is gloomy and wet and, unsurprisingly, the setup lap is slow on a greasy track with rain imminent.

The rain may be accidental. In some Italian traditions, rain is considered a sign of good luck. On an Italian wedding day, there is a phrase “sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata” – one translation is “wet bride, lucky bride”.

Despite the clouds, it seems like Hamilton is already elated. Comments on social media say he looks way cooler in Ferrari red than he ever did at Mercedes.

The staged photos that have been released would certainly prove that he feels comfortable, perhaps more than he expected.

After completing his laps, Hamilton walked to the fence and greeted fans outside the circuit.

Helmet of Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

Since announcing he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari 12 months ago, many talking heads have warned the 40-year-old that he would face a cultural challenge at Ferrari.

It made sense. The language barrier, racing with a Ferrari engine and Ferrari’s unique way of operating would all be new to Hamilton.

Nonetheless, he was smart in choosing the team close to him to help him navigate the integration. His company Project Forty Four has grown and has several new hires.

Commercial director Kel Akpobire joined global talent agency CAA eight months ago. Global communications specialist Jo Livingston, who worked with Hamilton at PR firm Freuds, has also joined as legal director Andin Fonyonga.

They join a team that includes Ellen Kolby Hansen, who has worked with Hamilton since her days at McLaren, where she worked as a driver liaison. And the operation is led by Marc Hynes, a former racing driver and Hamilton’s most trusted lieutenant.

Tifosi to Fiorano

Photo by: Davide Cavazza

The latest addition to the company is Angela Cullen, Hamilton’s physiotherapist who was alongside him at Mercedes for six of his seven world titles.

By surrounding himself with people he knows and trusts who operate in the background, Hamilton will be free to forge those relationships within Ferrari.

One of the ways Michael Schumacher became involved with Ferrari when he joined Benetton in 1996 was not just through his famous work ethic or the fact that he never publicly criticized the team. It went further than that.

Schumacher learned what was important to his Ferrari team and in doing so he spent time getting to know the staff, learning their names, their birthdays, their children’s names and what their interests were.

Hamilton will likely adopt the same principles to help him. So while all the focus is on his first laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari, the real groundwork now begins to build that relationship within the team, whose full support he needs if he is to win an eighth world title.