Lewis Hamilton drives Ferrari Formula 1 car for first time
Lewis Hamilton got his first taste of a Ferrari Formula 1 car at the team’s Fiorano test track.
The 40-year-old seven-time champion tested a 2023 car on Wednesday as part of his acclimatization with his new team.
His test took place after two days at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, of which the Fiorano circuit is part.
Hamilton’s run was completed shortly after 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT). Teammate Charles Leclerc will take the wheel in the afternoon as he begins to regain speed after the winter break.
Ferrari will release more information about Hamilton’s run later on Wednesday.
Hamilton will test the previous car for a total of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) in compliance with F1 regulations.
The test will help him understand how Ferrari’s engines operate and allow him to build trust and working practices with new racing engineer Riccardo Adami and the rest of the team.
Adami has partnered with Carlos Sainz for the past four years and, before that, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton has only driven a Mercedes engine during his 18-year F1 career.
The modern F1 engine is a 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrid with advanced energy recovery systems and complex control processes, many of which are operated by the driver from inside the cockpit.
Although the various power and performance modes of the various engines are designed to be similar, each manufacturer has different software and operating procedures that drivers need time to become familiar with.
