Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he's had a connection with Ferrari for decades, revealing that he used to drive for the team in video games in his youth.
The announcement earlier this month that Hamilton would depart from his Mercedes contract a year early to join Ferrari in 2025 sent shockwaves through the F1 community.
Ferrari, seeking to reclaim its former glory, has not clinched a drivers' championship since Kimi Raikkonen's triumph in 2007, with its last sustained period of success occurring during Schumacher's dominance from 2000 to 2004.
In an Instagram post, Hamilton expressed that driving for Ferrari had always been a "childhood dream", a sentiment he expanded upon during a news conference at preseason testing.
Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025Lewis Hamilton says he used to play as Michael Schumacher in F1 video games
Schumacher inspired Hamilton
The seven-time world champion's childhood fascination with Ferrari, fueled by virtual experiences as Schumacher, has now materialised into a real-world opportunity as he prepares to join the iconic Italian team in 2025.
“I think for every driver growing up, watching history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think all of us sit in our garages, and you see the screen pop up, you see a driver in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it will be like to be surrounded by the red.” Hamilton said.
“You go to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and you see the sea of red of Ferrari fans and you can only stand in awe of that. It is a team that has not had huge success since Michael’s days, and I see it as a huge challenge.
“As a kid I used to play the Grand Prix 2 computer game as Michael in that [Ferrari] car. It is definitely a dream, and I am really excited about it.”
In an interview with F1, Hamilton has also previously said that in other games he would also play as Raikkonen in a Ferrari.
“I remember before I got to Formula 1, in computer games I’d always be in Kimi’s car,” Hamilton laughed. “So I had this crazy experience of racing against him, losing a championship to him and then [having] lots of great battles [with him]."
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