"One of the Best Feelings of My Life’ \u2013 Hamilton Reflects on ‘Special’ First Ferrari Drive"

"' One of the Best Feelings of My Life' \u2013 Hamilton Reflects on 'Special' First Ferrari Drive \r\n\r\nLewis Hamilton has shared his emotions after getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car for the first time, with the seven-time World Champion hailing the experience as \u201cone of the best feelings of my life\u201d.\r\n\r\nAfter spending his first day at the squad\u2019s Maranello headquarters on Monday, Hamilton hit the Scuderia\u2019s Fiorano track on Wednesday for his greatly-anticipated debut in red as part of his \u201cimmersion programme\u201d.\r\n\r\nThe Briton headed out in an SF-23, starting with an installation lap on wet tyres amid a foggy morning at the circuit with some of the Tifosi watching from the sidelines.\r\n\r\nMembers of Hamilton\u2019s family were also in attendance to see the milestone moment unfold, while team boss Fred Vasseur and deputy Jerome d\u2019Ambrosio also looked on.\r\n\r\nAs the test continued, Hamilton bolted on the slick tyres and completed flying laps as well as practice starts, bringing his total mileage for the session to 30 laps.\r\n\r\nAfter a debrief with the engineers, the 40-year-old greeted the fans that had gathered to watch him in action on what was clearly a special day for him.\r\n\r\nHamilton was left \"energised\" by the support from the Ferrari family during his first day at the wheel of one of the team's F1 cars\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn\u2019t sure how many more firsts I had but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning, was one of the best feelings of my life,\u201d Hamilton reflected afterwards.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again.\r\n\r\n\u201cI already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi! But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring. That passion runs through their veins and you can\u2019t help but be energised by it.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m so grateful for the love I have felt from everyone in Maranello this week, we have a lot of work to do but I can\u2019t wait to get started.\u201d\r\n\r\nHamilton was not alone in putting in some laps at Fiorano, with Charles Leclerc also in action during the afternoon for a different programme to Hamilton. The Monegasque amassed 14 laps, as well as performing some celebratory donuts for the watching fans.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe first day back in the car is always a great feeling after the holidays,\u201d said Leclerc. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be back on track, to see that so many fans came out to watch us. Feeling all this excitement surrounding the team is very motivating. It was a good day, even though it was raining a little bit when I was driving.\r\n\r\n\u201cOf course it was nice to be able to see Lewis driving his first laps in a Ferrari, which was a special moment for the team and for him. Now I\u2019m looking forward to being back in the car next week and to really start working hard for the coming season.\u201d\r\n\r\nTeam boss Vasseur also offered his thoughts following Hamilton's first laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari, with the fortunes of the Scuderia driver pairing set to be one of the stories of 2025.\r\n\r\n\u201cAs is the case every year, the first time you go out on track is a bit like the first day back at school and quite an emotional feeling, especially today as it was Lewis\u2019 first day as part of the team,\" Vasseur said.\r\n\r\n\u201cWelcoming a new driver is always an important moment. Maybe today was less special for Charles, but it was good to see him fit, relaxed and keen to go racing again.\r\n\r\n\"As for the technical side, Charles and Lewis did their laps in not the best weather, but they got back in the swing of things and immersed themselves in the track environment prior to the first proper test in a month\u2019s time in Bahrain.\r\n\"It was also a warm-up for the team in the garage. That was the sole purpose of today.\"\r\n\r\nHamilton will continue to spend the coming days and weeks integrating with his new team, while the whole squad push on with their preparations for the 2025 season."

"One of the Best Feelings of My Life’ \u2013 Hamilton Reflects on ‘Special’ First Ferrari Drive"

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