Lewis Hamilton “means business” verdict as he makes Ferrari F1 debut

Lewis Hamilton “means business” and is determined to end his F1 career with a record-breaking eighth world title at Ferrari, it has been claimed.

The seven-time world champion completed his first laps with his new Ferrari team on Wednesday morning following a blockbuster switch from rivals Mercedes after 12 years with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton made his first appearance at Ferrari’s famous Maranello F1 base on Monday as he immerses himself into the team ahead of his debut season with the Italian outfit in 2025.

Shortly after 9am, Hamilton hit a foggy Fiorano track behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2023 F1 car as hundreds of Tifosi flocked to spot a glimpse of their new hero.

Hamilton’s family are also in attendance on Wednesday as the 40-year-old Briton begins the latest chapter of his storied F1 career.

“A great atmosphere here, a wonderful warm and spontaneous welcome for Lewis Hamilton, lots of tifosi and Ferrari fans here,” Sky Sports’ Craig Slater noted from the track.

“Lots of banners to support Hamilton. It almost feels like this has been his team for his entire career. He’s been immersed in Ferrari these last few days, he now feels very much a Ferrari driver.

“It’s strictly limited these kinds of runs, it’s in a sense a publicly filming day. It is in a two-year old car, he will have to use non-race Academy tyres as they are known. But it will be very useful for him to bed in to the experience here.

“One other thing to say about today, is that it’s a family affair for Lewis today. He’s got his dad here, Anthony, his step mother Linda and I understand his mother Carmen as well. So a lot of emotion for him on the track today.

“But his team boss Fred Vasseur said he wants the emotion to be just for one lap because this is strictly about business.

“Lewis is getting his tight race team around him again. Marc Hynes his manager has been meeting up with some familiar faces here. We learned yesterday as well that Angela Cullen, his long-term physio therapist will be back in his corner for race weekends.

“So in this final phase of his career, no question, Lewis Hamilton means business.”

Hamilton becomes the 12th British driver to have raced for the iconic Italian team in F1 and he will be looking to emulate the achievements of the likes of Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees, both of whom won titles with the Scuderia.

“Can he complete what he hopes to describe as the masterpiece of his career with an eighth championship at the most famous team in F1?” Slater continued.

“There’s more than a thousand Ferrari fans here. Hamilton will be looking to follow the likes of Mike Hawthorn, Briton’s first world champion, who was a Ferrari world champion in 1958, John Surtees who won the championship with Ferrari.

“Others who didn’t, the likes of Eddie Irvine, Nigel Mansell, Peter Collins, who had a tragic end to his career at Ferrari. Many great drivers have come to this team hoping they could emulate the likes of Fangio and Schumacher and make themselves not just a great world champion but a great Ferrari world champion which means so much more.

“It’s the ultimate achievement in this sport. Now at Ferrari is he going to top things off with that eighth world championship?

“It’s going to be tough, his teammate Charles Leclerc scored more points than anyone else after the summer break last season, but in a sense that also shows that maybe a championship is possible in this debut Ferrari season.”