Lewis Hamilton: First drive for Ferrari was one of the best feelings of my life

Lewis Hamilton described his maiden drive in a Ferrari car as one of the best feelings of his life after he realised a childhood dream by completing his first laps for the Italian team.

Hamilton, who turned 40 earlier this month, left his garage at Ferrari’s private test circuit in Fiorano at 9:16 local time (8:16am GMT) in foggy conditions before posting 30 laps.

The seven-time world champion, who will earn in excess of £100million across his new two-year deal with the Italian giants, tested a 2023 Ferrari – the latest model he is allowed to use.

Hamilton is set to complete further miles at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya next week before Formula One’s official three-day pre-season test starts in Bahrain on February 26th.

“I’ve 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’t sure how many more firsts I would have, but driving a Ferrari car for the first time this morning was one of the best feelings of my life,” said Hamilton, who made his F1 debut in 2007.

“When 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 One car.

“It was such an exciting and special moment and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again.”

Hamilton has enjoyed a whirlwind week at Ferrari’s base in Maranello after meeting up with his new colleagues following his blockbuster transfer from Mercedes.

On the eve of his first outing in Ferrari colours he posted a picture on his social media accounts dressed in the famous red overalls – an image that attracted 1.5 million ‘likes’ inside an hour of it being uploaded to Instagram.

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