Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a “very pleasant meeting” with Ferrari president John Elkann shortly after sealing his seventh F1 World Championship with Mercedes in 2020, it has emerged. Almost a year after his shock move from Mercedes was announced, Hamilton officially commenced preparations for his first season as a Ferrari driver last week. After visiting the team’s Maranello factory to meet his new colleagues, the seven-time World Champion completed 30 laps behind the wheel of the 2023 car in a private test at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track.
Hamilton described the test as “one of the best feelings of my life” and, in an address to Ferrari staff, revealed that he had been waiting “forever” to link up with his new team. Ferrari are holding their second private test of the winter in Barcelona this week, with Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc both in action on Tuesday. The running is expected to conclude on Thursday, with Ferrari set to stay in Spain to participate in a Pirelli tyre test next week.
👉 Lewis Hamilton now finally has a chance to escape the ghosts of Abu Dhabi 2021 👉 Four reasons why Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari makes so much sense Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was announced on February 1 last year, less than six months after he had committed his future to Mercedes by signing a new two-year contract extension on the eve of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The British driver had been persistently linked with a move to Ferrari in the months before.
