Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari F1 debut contingency plan revealed

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton Ferrari debut contingency plan revealed

Lewis Hamilton is now officially a Ferrari F1 driver

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 4 January 2025 10:57 Updated: 16:04

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A new plan has been revealed for Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut, in case of a cancellation, according to Italian media reports.

Hamilton is now officially a Ferrari driver, having announced his move for the 2025 season at the beginning of 2024.

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The team welcomed Hamilton to Maranello via their social media channels, while Hamilton himself posted hist firat official driver statement on LinkedIn, using the hashtag 'new job'.

The seven-time champion has ditched his Mercedes team following three seasons of underperformance, in which he only managed two race victories, falling further and further from championship contention.

Following the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month, Hamilton secured P7 in the drivers' standings, the worst result of his career.

Lewis Hamilton is now officially a Ferrari driver

When will Lewis Hamilton make his Ferrari debut?

Could Hamilton's Ferrari debut be delayed?

As well as the LinkedIn post, Hamilton also posted a picture on his Instagram page of him racing in a Ferrari red helmet when he was a youngster, still repping the now iconic number 44 on the front of his kart.

Now, attention has switched onto when Hamilton might make his debut in Ferrari red, ahead of the season curtain-raiser in Australia in March.

Pre-season testing is set to take place in Bahrain on February 26 to 28, but Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has already revealed that the team will likely try and get Hamilton out on their private Fiorano track at some point in January, although the session will be 'weather permitting'.

Original reports suggested that this could take place on January 21 and January 22, but now it has been revealed that there is a contingency plan in place for if the weather isn't good enough for proper running.

Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Saturday January 25 could be the day that Hamilton officially drives a Ferrari F1 car for the first time.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Abu Dhabi Grand Prix