Lewis Hamilton has taken his first drive as a Ferrari driver at the team's Fiorano test track, piloting the 2023 SF-23 car during a Previous Car Testing session.

The seven-time world champion began his first week at Maranello with departmental meetings before revealing his 2025 helmet design - a return to his signature yellow color scheme from his early career days.

Testing commenced at 09:16 local time, with Hamilton completing initial installation laps on wet tires before transitioning to slicks as conditions improved. Hundreds of fans gathered at the track to witness this historic moment.

The test serves crucial technical purposes:

• Familiarizing Hamilton with Ferrari's power unit settings and controls
• Testing seat position and comfort
• Adapting to new technical procedures, as Hamilton has exclusively driven Mercedes-powered F1 cars
• Preparing for the official Bahrain pre-season test (February 26-28)

As a Ferrari race driver, Hamilton is limited to four days and 1000km of testing with previous-year cars during the season, while Ferrari can conduct 20 total days of Previous Car Testing annually.

This move has generated significant interest, particularly in Italy, as Hamilton aims to secure a record-breaking eighth drivers' championship, surpassing Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher's record.

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