Anticipation is high as Lewis Hamilton officially begins his Ferrari career, with hotel rooms in the Maranello region fully booked ahead of his debut test.
Hamilton, dressed in a sharp black suit, posed with a Ferrari F40 outside Enzo Ferrari's iconic house. Rumours swirled that he might join Michael Schumacher as one of the few Ferrari drivers ever invited to live in the legendary villa.
"I love seeing the house and the legendary rooms, but no - I won't be living there," the 40-year-old clarified.
An enthusiastic crowd of Tifosi braved rain and cold temperatures, waiting since dawn to witness Hamilton's first official day as a Ferrari driver. According to La Repubblica, fans gathered outside the Maranello location to mark the historic occasion.
Inside the Ferrari headquarters, Hamilton toured the factory, met with engineers and staff, and completed a seat fitting in preparation for his Fiorano track debut on Wednesday.
"Hamilton and (Charles) Leclerc will alternate at the wheel of the SF-23 and the F1-75—cars that are at least two years old, as permitted by the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations," reported La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The duo is also reportedly scheduled for further testing next week in Barcelona.
Hamilton has been paired with race engineer Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.
Pundits are already speculating about the internal rivalry between Hamilton and Leclerc for the 2025 season.
"Lewis feels things differently to others and has a really strong race pace," said former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi.
"But Charles is really strong in qualifying, and starting position is always very important. It will be extremely interesting to see what happens between the two of them."
However, Hamilton's former teammate Nico Rosberg believes Leclerc may have an edge.
"Charles will be at a similar level to George Russell," Rosberg commented.
"They are the best of the next generation, except for (Max) Verstappen, who is a bit higher.
Lewis has been struggling, and we don't really know why. So if it's like last season, Charles will beat Lewis in the same way that George beat Lewis," he added.
Despite this, Rosberg acknowledged Hamilton's remarkable achievements.
"Lewis is the greatest of all time," he said. "We still give him the benefit of the doubt that he can be at his best again, and then he should be slightly ahead of Charles at the end of the year, so we'll see."
