Components 1’s biggest-ever driver transfer has occurred forward of the brand new 2025 season with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton gearing up for his first yr at Ferrari.

Preserve on top of things with the newest key dates and occasions right here throughout pre-season because the early levels of one of many sport’s most anticipated link-ups performs out…

When will Hamilton drive a Ferrari for the primary time?

Ferrari are but to formally verify Hamilton’s precise early actions at their Maranello base when he arrives for the primary time later in January, however group boss Frederic Vasseur advised the media simply earlier than Christmas that their star signing’s debut on the observe for them was set to be in one of many group’s outdated vehicles.

• All the important thing race and testing dates for Components 1 in 2025
• Who drives the place in F1 2025 | Newest automotive launch date schedule
• Stream all Sky Sports activities channels with NOW

That is as a result of F1’s sporting laws permit for the Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC), below sure restrictions, with groups this yr in a position to run their vehicles from 2023, 2022 or 2021 exterior of race weekends and official 2025 testing.

Given pre-season testing for the brand new 2025 challengers doesn’t happen till late February in Bahrain, a run in an older automotive earlier than then will permit Hamilton a primary likelihood to get used to a few of the distinctive traits of one of many Scuderia’s vehicles, programs and dealing practices on the observe.

What we do know to date is that Hamilton’s bow will come on the Scuderia’s personal Fiorano check observe, which is adjoining to their manufacturing facility in Maranello, with the precise date within the second half of January to be decided nearer to the time by the climate forecast.

When will Hamilton first seem publicly as a Ferrari driver?

Vasseur confirmed that no bespoke ‘unveiling’ occasion will probably be held forward of the season to mark the seven-time world champion’s arrival on the Scuderia, however Hamilton positively will be part of new team-mate Charles Leclerc and the remainder of the much-changed 2025 F1 grid on the sport’s particular season launch occasion at London’s O2 on February 18.

Hamilton will then participate in his first Ferrari automotive launch a day later in Maranello on February 19.

When will Hamilton drive Ferrari’s 2025 automotive for the primary time?

Whereas Hamilton and Leclerc will probably drive their new 2025 automotive at Fiorano in a shakedown below one of many group’s permitted ‘filming days’ after its launch on February 19, the pair’s full debuts within the group’s newest challenger will come at Bahrain Testing from February 26-28.

Hamilton and Leclerc will share driving duties throughout the three days within the Center East, which means they are going to be on observe for a day and a half every.

When and the place will he make his Ferrari race debut?

Melbourne’s Albert Park would be the venue for Hamilton’s first race weekend as a Ferrari driver on March 14-16 because the Australian Grand Prix reverts to internet hosting the season-opener for 2025.

All 24 race weekends within the new season are reside on Sky Sports activities F1.

How lengthy is his Ferrari contract?

Ferrari introduced that that they had signed Hamilton to a “multi-year” contract when the transfer was introduced final February. Whereas not specifying publicly the precise size of the time period, multi-year will surely cowl each the 2025 and 2026 seasons and will even include choices for the Briton to proceed past that.

Hamilton, who turned 40 on January 7, stated in April 2024 that “I will be racing properly into my 40s” having beforehand performed down the possibilities of persevering with his profession for therefore lengthy.

The 2025 marketing campaign marks Hamilton’s nineteenth consecutive season on the F1 grid.

Why has Hamilton chosen to hitch Ferrari?

It was a shock of actually seismic proportions when it emerged on February 1, 2024 that Hamilton can be leaving Mercedes on the finish of that yr to hitch rivals Ferrari.

Activating a break clause in what had beforehand been considered a hard and fast two-year Mercedes deal, which had been agreed simply 5 months earlier, Hamilton stated that though it had been the “hardest resolution I believe I’ve ever needed to make” in opting to depart he had concluded that “finally I am writing my story and I felt prefer it was time to start out a brand new chapter”.

How did Hamilton fare within the 2024 season?

In what was at all times going to be an uncommon 2024 season for Hamilton and Mercedes given his end-of-year exit had been introduced earlier than the marketing campaign had even began, the Briton completed exterior the highest six within the Drivers’ Championship (seventh) for the primary time in his profession and was outperformed by team-mate George Russell.

Struggling to marry his model with Mercedes’ 2024 automotive, which suited some tracks and situations however floundered in others, Hamilton’s troubles principally manifested themselves in qualifying the place the report 104-time polesitter was trounced within the head-to-head by Russell and suffered some shock early exits, leaving him additional down the grid and infrequently compromising his weekends.

Nonetheless, although, there have been some notable highs – significantly on race days – none greater than an excellent win in changeable situations at his dwelling British GP, a record-breaking ninth win at a single Grand Prix and record-extending 104th total to finish a career-worst run of 56 races with no victory.

He inherited a a hundred and fifth when team-mate Russell was disqualified on the Belgian GP, whereas the closing weeks of his Mercedes profession lurched between unusually dismal showings – together with spinning out early in Austin and ending twelfth in a mistake-laden race in Qatar – and stirring comeback drives from poor qualifying shows in Las Vegas and, on his Mercedes farewell, in Abu Dhabi.

Who has changed Hamilton at Mercedes?

Getting into the sneakers of the most-successful F1 driver of all time is likely one of the sport’s youngest ever debutants, 18-year-old Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

A Mercedes protege who the group have had on their books since 2019, Antonelli received two races in his sole yr of F2 in 2024 and has been fast-tracked by means of the motorsport ladder to one of many grid’s highest-profile seats in a transparent present of religion in his potential from group boss Toto Wolff.

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Components 1 season reside on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime