Lewis Hamilton’s first Formula One test with Ferrari at a wet Fiorano circuit ended after 30 laps on Wednesday, as the seven-time champion began his track work with his new team.
Amid intense international media interest and hundreds of Ferrari fans who gathered around the Ferrari test track, Hamilton’s first outing ended just before lunch.
Hamilton appeared in an SF-23 – the newest car he is allowed to test under F1’s ‘previous car testing’ rules – at exactly 9.16am, but the wet circuit caused a slow lap installation of Pirelli demonstration rain tires.
Hamilton was clearly aware of the importance of the moment for fans, however, as he greeted the fans during this first lap.
After returning to the pits for regular checks of the car, Hamilton then embarked on a series of short runs which allowed him to experience some key characteristics of Ferrari’s ground effect cars.
His first 10-lap run took place on wet tires and included a few practice starts to help him familiarize himself with different procedures.
After a short break, and as the track dried, Hamilton then carried out his first test on slick tires with the hard Pirelli test tyres.
The circuit appeared to offer little grip and Hamilton was observed to have a few hang-ups during the 10-lap race, briefly drifting away at one point, before continuing with practice starts.
Hamilton returned to the pits before embarking on one final run, this time of around five laps, before a scheduled lunch break.
After getting out of the car, Hamilton took the time to take a lift to the end of the Fiorano test track to greet the fans who had filled the viaduct near the circuit from the early hours of the morning.
With bad weather and rain falling, Hamilton’s day of running came to an end when Ferrari replaced the car with Charles Leclerc, who did some running in the wet early in the afternoon.
Even if Hamilton covered around 100 kilometers of racing, no more than during a day of filming, this was enough for him to have a first understanding of the characteristics of Ferrari cars.
The team has not yet announced when Hamilton will carry out further testing, but it is possible he could carry out another test at Fiorano before a planned test at Barcelona later this month.
