On Wednesday, Lewis Hamilton made an impressive appearance before a crowd of eager fans as he took the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the very first time, following his recent move to the iconic Italian team for the 2025 season.

Hamilton drove the 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23, featuring his racing number 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track. He sported a fresh helmet design, which was bright yellow adorned with the famous Prancing Horse emblem.

The 40-year-old British driver commenced his inaugural lap at 9:16 a.m. local time amid light fog and took the time to wave to approximately 1,000 fans who braved the chilly and damp weather to catch a glimpse of him.

Later in the day, Hamilton made a special effort to connect with the loyal supporters who had stood in the rain since the early morning hours. Dressed in a Ferrari-red jacket, he interacted with them by waving, giving a thumbs-up, and placing a hand on his heart in gratitude.

The excitement didn’t stop there; one of Italy’s prominent sports figures, tennis star Jannik Sinner, also weighed in on the buzz surrounding Hamilton’s Ferrari debut. After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Sinner was asked about Hamilton’s new chapter in a conversation with an Italian reporter. “It’s still pretty strange to see him in red,” he acknowledged, adding, “but it’ll be a great season.”

Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari marks a significant shift in Formula 1, given his prolific 12-year tenure with Mercedes, during which he secured six of his seven world championships. He has expressed that joining Ferrari is a lifelong dream come true. “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 realize that dream today,” he shared on Monday after visiting Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters to kick off his tenure with the new team.

In Formula 1, teams are subject to strict regulations concerning the testing of current-specification cars. However, these rules are more flexible for older models such as the SF-23 that Hamilton piloted on Wednesday. The regulations for the 2025 season permit him to drive up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) over four days in earlier F1 cars under the “testing of previous cars” provision. The SF-23, being the latest eligible Ferrari, fits this criteria perfectly.

Looking ahead, pre-season testing for the upcoming season’s cars is scheduled to take place from February 26 to 28 in Bahrain.