Lewis Hamilton's first Ferrari F1 drive date REVEALED

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton's first Ferrari F1 drive date REVEALED

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2025

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Sunday 22 December 2024 17:00

The date of Lewis Hamilton's first drive in a Ferrari Formula 1 car has been revealed by Italian media.

The seven-time world champion left Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season this month, ready to join the Scuderia in 2025.

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The Mercedes-Hamilton partnership was the most successful driver-team combination of all time, with six world championships and 84 race victories being achieved by Hamilton, while the team won eight constructors' titles.

However, Hamilton's last three seasons with the Brackley outfit were disappointing, only picking up two victories in that time as the team fell away from being championship contenders.

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2025

Ferrari fans are preparing to welcome Lewis Hamilton to the team

When will Hamilton make his Ferrari debut?

Alongside Charles Leclerc, Hamilton is set to form a formidable driver lineup, with Carlos Sainz the driver unlucky enough to be displaced by the 39-year-old's shock switch.

Now, the exact date of Hamilton's Ferrari debut seems to have been confirmed, with speculation rife about whether or not the Brit will drive a Ferrari before the pre-season test in Bahrain in February.

Hamilton missed out on the post-season Abu Dhabi test due to Mercedes sponsor duties, delaying his Ferrari debut in order to have a proper send-off with the team.

AutoRacer have suggested that Hamilton has already visited Maranello in a private meeting to get to know some of the team, and that he will make use of some TPC (testing of previous cars) days in late January to get up to speed on the Fiorano track.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur recently confirmed that this would happen 'weather permitting' in late January, but the above publication have suggested that Hamilton will be on the track on January 21 and January 22.

GPFans have contacted Ferrari for comment on the reports.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Carlos Sainz