Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari test debut sparks social media frenzy

Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari is guaranteed to have a major impact on Formula 1 throughout the 2025 season.

As revealed by ExpressVPN in their research last year, the F1 series already garners plenty of interest worldwide – a point evidenced by viewership of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

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The race was the most-watched European F1 event in United States history, while online searches for Monaco Grand Prix were off the scale in numerous jurisdictions.

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari could fire F1 into another stratosphere if the reaction to his first testing session is anything to go by. Read on as we take a closer look.

Ferrari fans go wild for Hamilton

The seven-time world champion was desperate to drive for Ferrari before the end of his career, and it appears the team’s fans are delighted to have him on board.

Hamilton embarked on his first test laps in a 2023 Ferrari at the Italian team’s private test circuit at Fiorano, and thousands of fans were there to watch him in action.

The British driver is scheduled to take part in another session in Barcelona, before the three-day pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain on February 26.

Hamilton’s comments to the media before he hit the track highlighted how excited he is to have the opportunity to fulfil a lifelong ambition.

“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” Hamilton said.

“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.

“Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together.”

Ferrari fans have lapped up Hamilton’s move to the iconic Italian team, with millions of them engaging with his handful of posts on social media this week.

He posted an image on his social media accounts dressed in red, which garnered more than 3.8million views in the first 19 hours it was online.

A second post showing Hamilton’s bright yellow racing helmet was viewed over 1.4 times in six hours, further highlighting the buzz surrounding his move to Ferrari.

Hamilton has joined the Italian outfit after 12 seasons with Mercedes, and he will be desperate to make an immediate impact when the new campaign starts in Australia in March.

As ESPN reports, Ferrari are scheduled to reveal their 2025 car in Maranello on February 19 and the event is certain to generate even more engagement on social media.

The 40-year-old’s performances for Ferrari are sure to spark plenty of debate throughout the season and it will be intriguing to see whether he can live up to expectations.

The final word

Max Verstappen’s dominance of F1 has sucked the life out of F1 over the past few years, but he may not have things all his own way in 2025.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will fancy their chances of mounting a strong bid to knock the reigning champion off his perch this term.

However, Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is undoubtedly the main storyline heading into a season which could be one for the ages.

READ MORE: F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as full grid complete

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