HAMILTON MANIA.

LEWIS IS ALREADY IN RED, THE ADVENTURE WITH FERRARI HAS STARTED.

Originally Published in: Gazzetta dello Sport

Originally Published on: Jan 18th 2025

Originally Written by: Guisto Ferronato

Maranello and its surroundings are still cold, but the fever for Lewis Hamilton in red grows day by day.

The first laps with the Ferrari of the seven-time world champion are just around the corner, a debut awaited by the F1 world for a year now, since it was announced that the most successful driver ever would not renew his contract with Mercedes to move to the Cavallino starting in 2025. Next week, Hamilton will be at the simulator and on Wednesday he will get into the car at the Fiorano track for the very first contact laps, preparatory to the first official tests of the season with the new Ferrari, scheduled between February 26 and 28 in Bahrain. This will be the only session before the world championship debut in Australia on the weekend of March 16.

ⓒ LA GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT

ON VACATION IN THE SNOW Hamilton, as he often does during the winter break, is spending his holidays in the United States. But the echo of his movements resonates everywhere, fueled by the power of social media, of which Lewis is a skilled user. A few days ago, the champion posted some daring snowboarding stunts, a winter sport that he is passionate about. But the 38.5 million regular followers who follow him on Instagram obviously did not miss the red of the winter suit he was wearing. So, to become familiar with the most iconic color of racing and to send clear messages, even from vacation the thought is already there, to the new adventure. After all, at the beginning of January, the first official month as a new employee of Ferrari, Hamilton had shared his emotions about the important professional change. In a post on LinkedIn, he expressed himself this way: "I couldn't be more excited for the year ahead, the move to Ferrari is something that requires a lot of reflection. Knowing how to reinvent oneself is something powerful. 2025 begins, a year to seize new opportunities, stay hungry, and move forward with purpose. Let's make it a year to remember."

WITHOUT FEAR The post was very much appreciated by Benedetto Vigna. The CEO of Ferrari, during the meeting this week in Milan, where the partnership between the Cavallino and UniCredit was presented, recounted how the atmosphere of anticipation surrounding Hamilton's arrival is very warm: "There is great interest outside the company, but there is also a lot of excitement inside," commented the CEO. "Lewis will start next week, we are almost ready on everything and obviously there is great expectation. Today there is a nice atmosphere within the team and we must maintain it." Vigna has obviously read the message from the new "colleague": "Lewis did not choose a social platform by chance, it tells us that there is a change, but come on, we are not afraid. At 40 years old, he has put himself on the line, accepting a challenge that will see him confront a new culture after many years in an Anglo-Saxon context. What will he bring us? We will see, but undoubtedly a lot of experience, we are talking about a seven-time world champion. I believe we will have the opportunity to learn something from him, as he will from us." Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve also celebrated the importance of the Hamilton-Ferrari duo: "Lewis has broken the mold, he is the image of F1 and goes beyond. No one cares if Verstappen leaves F1, with Hamilton it's different. The union with Ferrari is something incredible."

WHAT A MARRIAGE Right now, everyone is eager to witness the very first movements of this marriage between two iconic names in F1. Even Piero Ferrari, in an interview with QN, admitted to being in anticipation: "We hope he can win right away, the champion is beyond discussion, the character has enormous charisma." On February 18 in London, the liveries of all F1 cars will be presented at the first edition of an event evening. On February 19 in Italy, the red team will present the new single-seater in Maranello, and it will be the occasion to hear Hamilton as an official driver. On his social profiles, Sir Lewis now presents himself with a childhood karting photo, wearing an all-red helmet, demonstrating how the enthusiasm and desire to live this new adventure are as intense as when he dreamed of becoming a motorsport star. Today, the perspective is to compete with Ferrari to become the first driver of the modern era to win the World Championship after crossing the threshold of 40 years. The last to come close to this feat was compatriot Nigel Mansell, another Lion of Her Majesty, who became world champion with Williams in 1992 at 39 years old. The technical regulations of F1 are frozen even for 2025, Ferrari closed 2024 with significant growth, and the champion has sensed the possibility that this year the red team could truly be the... winning horse. To become the only driver in history with 8 world titles won and surpass Michael Schumacher, another sacred monster of Maranello, with whom he is tied at 7.

Hamilton's charisma, after all, is undeniable. This is confirmed by American gossip magazines that captured him in New York in recent days, having lunch in cheerful company with Sofia Vergara, the Colombian actress from Modern Family, already igniting scenarios about the birth of a new couple. The super scenery of this story is increasingly rich in details, ready to flood the screens of all devices. For sure, F1 has already won.

[Translation proof reading by @F1REAKS / X]