If there is something that Ferrari insists on taking care of, it is its image, to the point of making it difficult for its supercars to fall into hands that could discredit a symbol as legendary as that of The Prancing Horse. With that in mind, the first photo of Lewis Hamilton as a driver for the brand could not be taken just in any way. A year after announcing their landing, in one of the most relevant operations in the history of the event, the era of Hamilton and Ferrari began in front of the gallery this Monday, through an image posted on the profiles of both on the networks social. As we said, nothing in the scene was left to chance. The Briton, dressed in a very elegant evening suit, posed in front of the former home of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the most universal symbol in the world of racing, in Fiorano.
“There are days that you know you will remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” declared Hamilton, positioned in front of an F40, one of the company’s most iconic models, and his favorite. “I have been lucky to have achieved things in my career that I never thought were possible, but a part of me has always held on to that dream of running in red. “I couldn’t be happier to make that dream come true,” the multi-time champion posted on his Instagram account. The capture was taken in the Michael Schumacher square, with whom the Stevenage rider ties in number of crowns (seven), even though the balance is already on his side in victories (105 to 91 of the German) and podiums (202 to 155 ).
In Fiorano, where he is expected to make his debut behind the wheel of one of the red cars in the coming days (presumably the one from 2022 or 2023), Hamilton met the executives who will accompany and guide him in his new adventure, led by Fred Vasseur, the director. He knows the Frenchman well, since he won with his team and took the F3 and GP2 titles consecutively, in 2005 and 2006, before surprising the world in his F1 debut, with McLaren, in 2007. On the legendary track owned by Ferrari also exchanged impressions with Venedetto Vigna, the CEO, before meeting, back in Maranello, with Piero Ferrari, vice president and son of Enzo.
In the next two days, the new flagship of the Scuderia You will immerse yourself in the different departments of what will be your new home, and most likely the last one within the paddock. Before hitting the track, you will learn about the design and manufacturing protocols of the cars, your seat will be custom-made, and you will become familiar with the simulator. The first test with a car should take place this Wednesday, although the team is sending messages in different directions, to prevent the typhosi They can move en masse and cause the occasional unexpected setback.
While others, like Carlos Sainz, were able to debut with the car of what will be their new structure (Williams) in the test that took place in Abu Dhabi just after the last stop of the last calendar, Ferrari and Hamilton had to wait to the new year, due to contractual ties with Mercedes. Until now, the Italian builder had flirted with some suggestive messages on social networks, but nothing that could lead to legal problems with the German giant.
Hamilton’s dedication is absolute, probably because he is aware that he faces the only possibility of distancing himself from Schumacher and becoming undoubtedly the best of all time. Any detail is important, although knowing it requires making a call to Sebastian Vettel, formerly a rival and now a colleague, to inquire about Riccardo Adami, who will be his track engineer and who was the four-time champion from Heppenheim. It is not ruled out that Ferrari organizes another day of training at the end of the month, in Montmeló.
And all this before the official presentation of the team, of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, on February 19, again in Fiorano, as usual. By the time the World Cup starts, in mid-March, there will be some that will already be blown.
