Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will officially debut with the iconic Italian team at Maranello and Fiorano "next week."
According to recent reports, the seven-time world champion is scheduled to begin his Ferrari journey in the simulator at Maranello on Monday. Later in the week, he will make his track debut at the Fiorano test circuit, driving a 2022 Ferrari Formula 1 car.
"Lewis Hamilton will be with us next week," Vigna announced during the unveiling of a new sponsorship deal with Italian bank Unicredit. "We are ready for almost everything, but not everything, but we will sort it out," he added with a smile.
The Unicredit partnership replaces Ferrari's previous deal with Spanish bank Santander, which transitioned to Williams alongside Carlos Sainz.
"This is a partnership that we wanted to announce shortly before Hamilton's arrival, placing people at the centre of our companies and the communities that gravitate around us," Vigna explained.
Hamilton's Ferrari debut has sparked significant excitement, with reports suggesting local authorities are preparing for a massive turnout of fans.
"Clearly there is great anticipation," said Vigna.
"There is a lot of excitement and a great desire to get started. We are finalising the last details now."
Vigna also shared his personal admiration for Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari at this stage of his career.
"At 40, he got back into the game and embraced a culture that was different from the Anglo-Saxon one in many ways," he said.
