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CEO praises Hamilton 'He is Ferrari' as Briton arrived in Maranello
- Savannah Lenz
On Monday, Lewis Hamilton began a new chapter in his career. This time, his career will be surrounded by shades of red. For the first time as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton was in Maranello, and according to Ferrari CEO John Elkann, Hamilton immediately felt familiar to the team.
Hamilton decided to make a move to Ferrari after a rough few years with his previous team, Mercedes. After the longest season in F1 history, the seven-time world champion has finally made his move and can now call himself a Ferrari driver.
On his Instagram, Hamilton thanked John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, and Frederic Vasseur for their trust and for allowing him to be part of the Ferrari family. There was also a video posted where you can hear Hamilton speaking Italian for the Tifosi.
Praise for Hamilton from Ferrari management
It is not only Hamilton that is enthusiastic about his time with Ferrari, but Ferrari's CEO, Elkann, is as well. Speaking to the Turin-based newspaper La Stampa, he said: "Lewis is Ferrari. It is as if he has always been with Ferrari."
As for Hamilton's official Grand Prix debut, that doesn't come until 16 March, when the Australian Grand Prix will kick off the 2025 season. However, the Briton will drive a Ferrari car on Wednesday for a TPC event. On 19 February, a filming day will be hosted by Ferrari (where it is unknown whether Hamilton will drive Ferrari's 2025 challenger), and then on 26-28 February, the pre-season test will take place in Bahrain.
This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut.
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