Lewis Hamilton’s First Ferrari Test Cancelled Due to Poor Weather and reschedule on….read more
Lewis Hamilton’s highly anticipated move to Ferrari was finalized on January 1st, 2025, but his first official test with the team has encountered a setback. The seven-time world champion, who had hoped to make his debut behind the wheel of a Ferrari at a post-season test in Abu Dhabi, was unable to do so due to Mercedes enforcing contractual obligations. This delay, however, did little to dampen the excitement surrounding Hamilton’s switch to Maranello.
The announcement of Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari has caused a significant stir, especially in the town of Maranello, where local authorities had to deploy extra security to manage the large crowd of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their new star driver. The atmosphere was electric as Hamilton arrived at Ferrari’s headquarters, greeting the eager fans and signing autographs before thanking his new team in Italian phrases he had learned for the occasion.
On his first day with Ferrari, Hamilton met with the team’s principal, Fred Vasseur, and the CEO of Ferrari, Benedetto Vigna, as well as Piero Ferrari, the son of the legendary Enzo Ferrari. During the visit, Hamilton also spent time in the team’s simulator and was introduced to his engineers, including Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with drivers such as Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel.
As part of the team’s usual pre-season preparations, Ferrari had scheduled a “wake-up test” for January at the private Fiorano circuit, where Hamilton was expected to take the wheel of the 2022 SF-75 car. This test was part of the team’s efforts to get up to speed for the upcoming season, and Hamilton’s involvement was planned to be a key part of this process. In addition to this, a more extensive testing session was scheduled for February at Barcelona, where Hamilton was to use Ferrari’s full 1000km testing allocation for the 2025 season, leaving no mileage for his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
However, a major obstacle has emerged: the weather. Forecasts predict poor conditions in the Fiorano region, with temperatures struggling to exceed 8 degrees Celsius, making it unsafe for testing. As a result, Ferrari is now reconsidering their plans. The team has announced that if conditions do not improve, they will cancel the Fiorano test and may either reschedule it for later or move it to a different track, such as Mugello or Imola, where the weather may be more favorable.
With Hamilton’s Ferrari debut in limbo, the team remains optimistic that they will find a suitable alternative in the coming days. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s excitement to begin his journey with Ferrari remains undiminished, as he continues to familiarize himself with his new team and the historic Scuderia operations.
