Ferrari CEO confirms Lewis Hamilton’s Maranello arrival next week

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will make his eagerly-anticipated arrival at the team’s F1 base next week.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has joined Ferrari from rivals Mercedes in the biggest driver transfer in F1 history. 

The move sent shockwaves around the paddock when it was announced last February and the partnership of F1’s most famous team and the sport’s most successful driver has been a huge talking point over the past 12 months.

Amid the hype and frenzy surrounding Hamilton’s first public appearance at Ferrari, reports in Italian media have slated Monday 20 January as the day the 40-year-old Briton will first appear at the team’s Maranello headquarters.

Hamilton is then expected to drive an older Ferrari car later in the week to help with his assimilation into his new team.

Speaking at a press conference in Milan presenting a partnership between Ferrari and UniCredit, Vigna would not be drawn on exact dates, but confirmed Hamilton’s Maranello debut would occur next week.

"There is a lot of excitement, a great desire to begin," Vigna said. “Lewis will be with us at Ferrari next week. We are preparing the last things.

"There is a lot of expectation, we are ready for almost everything. We’ll make sure everything is in place. Changes are always beautiful."

Chaos predicted at Maranello amid ‘Hamilton mania’

Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari as been tipped to cause chaos on the streets on Maranello.

Italian journalist Roberto Chincero says a “Hamilton mania” has already begun in the country ahead of his arrival, which he believes will require a heavy police presence to manage large crowds that are expected to gather on the streets near Ferrari’s headquarters.

“A kind of Hamilton mania has already started in Italy,” Chinchero told the James Allen on F1 podcast.

“Since the New Year began, there is a big question mark that Italian Ferrari fans are trying to answer – when will the first test of Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari car take place?

“I cannot imagine the number of people that will be around the track. I’m expecting the Maranello and Fiorano streets will be filled with people.

“I’m expecting something that we haven’t seen in years. So it will be hard work for the police in Maranello.

“But I’m not surprised. All the national media, not only the sports media, are giving a lot of space to the man Lewis Hamilton.

“The mainstream is telling you who is Lewis, his passion and interest, the story of his career and his desire to end this career driving a Ferrari.”