It took him simply at some point to win everybody over: Lewis Hamilton confirmed up for his first day as an official Ferrari driver and instantly stirred robust feelings. Followers ready outdoors the Maranello manufacturing unit braved a chilly, wet, and gloomy day, what Italian singer-songwriter and composer Lucio Battisti may need known as dreary, and had been “lit up” by Lewis, who didn’t shrink back from the nice and cozy embrace of many who, till yesterday, noticed him as an opponent and even an enemy. Now, they’re able to assist him, as he is perhaps the champion to deliver Ferrari again to profitable a Formulation 1 world championship.
Ferrari’s final drivers’ title dates again to 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen, and the Constructors’ title to 2008. Eighteen years is an eternity for Formulation 1, which strikes extremely quick. Different world champions like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have tried to reconnect Ferrari with championship glory however failed to attain the aim. They arrived with a lot fanfare, just for the preliminary pleasure to finally fade away.
Will it’s the identical for Lewis Hamilton? He enters Maranello at forty years previous—the age when many cling up their helmets. The British driver would be the first Black driver to sit down in a pink automotive, a champion getting into Formulation 1’s holy floor after shattering all of Michael Schumacher’s information. The eighth title may eclipse the German driver’s seven. That is the hope, the expectation.
No lodge room may be discovered for kilometers round forward of tomorrow’s debut at Fiorano. Proud ceramic or actual property managers who had scheduled conferences in Maranello selected January 22 to catch a glimpse of Lewis within the pink automotive. It’s a phenomenon that goes far past mere Ferrari ardour, one thing the Scuderia must handle ultimately.
Whereas exterior enthusiasm from followers was predictable, the interior pleasure throughout the racing division was not as anticipated. That is an setting the place Charles Leclerc has been the chief, younger, recent, bold. Desirous to win however constrained by a automotive that has lengthy prevented him from realizing his full potential. Now that the SF-25 is perhaps the fitting automotive to lastly make a critical try, within the closing 12 months of Formulation 1’s ground-effect laws, probably the most embellished driver of all time arrives.
In a single day, he took heart stage. Your complete stage. He adopted the crew’s work schedule, particularly seat becoming and simulator, however he additionally needed to fulfill and greet each member of the Ferrari Racing Division. Within the morning, he was launched by Giuseppe Vigna, Ferrari chief government officer, and Frederic Vasseur, crew principal. Within the afternoon, he introduced alongside John Elkann, nearly reversing their roles, as Lewis Hamilton ventured into departments the place the president had by no means set foot. Handshakes, selfies, jokes: Lewis Hamilton linked deeply. He struck an emotional chord with individuals who had by no means seen their idol come to their desks and planted a seed.
Even these with grey hair, who’ve seen numerous drivers move by way of throughout their careers, had been moved. Lewis Hamilton arrived in Maranello wearing black, impeccable in his coat and tie, with a proper and hanging look. He gave us a picture that’s already a part of Ferrari’s historical past, standing in entrance of the Drake’s workplace and the F40, a technological icon of Ferrari custom. He entered the racing division with a disruptive but respectful strategy, totally conscious he was stepping right into a legend. However he didn’t let the Scuderia’s status overshadow him. He may have instantly worn the Ferrari uniform, however as an alternative, he selected to claim his (robust) persona by remaining Lewis, the seven-time Formulation 1 world champion.
In the present day, he can be seen wearing pink and can start working along with his crew as one of many two drivers for the 2025 Formulation 1 season. The British driver has deeply touched these getting ready the single-seater which is internally often called “the automotive for Lewis.” It’s clear that even an enthusiastic John Elkann has probably nurtured his normally hidden ardour for Ferrari. The president was capable of gauge simply how spot-on his choice to deliver Lewis Hamilton on board has been.
The media operation can be a large success. Ferrari has guess on an envoy unmatched on a worldwide scale. Lewis Hamilton almost overshadowed the simultaneous launch of Ducati’s Desmosedici at Madonna di Campiglio, however who may have imagined that the Englishman’s first day in Maranello would have such an awesome affect? Nobody.
Now, Lewis Hamilton is working within the simulator, studying the procedures that should develop into second nature, automated earlier than the season begins. The preparation for a Formulation 1 championship through which Ferrari is taking part in with a two-pronged assault, a dream crew, has began. It will likely be the stopwatch that defines the values and the stability of energy. Charles Leclerc is the one who hopes…
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