Hamilton completes first official visit to Ferrari's Maranello headquarter

F1 Grand Prix, GP Mexico, Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Ahead of his testing debut with Ferrari, the seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has completed his first official visit to the Scuderia's Maranello headquarters.

Lewis Hamilton announced his shock departure from Mercedes last February. The announcement caught the Formula One community by surprise, as the seven-time world champion was set to race for the Brackley-based outfit until the end of 2025.

However, an exit clause in his contract allowed Hamilton to leave the team in 2025 if he wished, and the Briton elected to terminate his contract at the end of the 2024 F1 season and seek for a new challenge at Ferrari this year.

Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in the history of Formula One, tied with the great German seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher on the number of world championship titles.

With his decision, Hamilton ends his 12-year association with Mercedes with which the Briton won six of his seven drivers' titles before a lean spell under the current ground-effect technical regulatory era.

In his first public comment since officially becoming a Ferrari driver at the turn of the new year, Hamilton took to social platforms to reveal: "I could not be more excited for the year ahead. Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there's a lot to reflect on.

"To anyone considering their next move in 2025: embrace the change. Whether you're switching industries, learning a new skill, or even just taking on new challenges, remember that reinvention is powerful.

"Your next opportunity is always within reach. Here's to 2025 - a year of embracing new opportunities, staying hungry, and driving forward with purpose. Let's make it one to remember. Andiamo," noted the 105-time F1 race winner.

Hamilton has now completed his first official visit to Ferrari's Italian base, and he is expected to carry out intensive simulator work before making his testing debut with a two-year-old F1 Ferrari at Fiorano later this week.

Commenting on his first visit to Ferrrai's Maranello headquarter ahead of his testing debut, the seven-time world champion noted: "There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days.

"I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red.

"I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today. Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together."