As is common at this time of year, an update to a LinkedIn profile confirmed the start of a new job. Only this time, the user posting it was none other than Sir Lewis Hamilton. He shared a picture he’d found of himself as a youngster karting, wearing a bright red helmet and even used the hashtag #newjob. He added that he “could not be more excited about the year ahead,” encouraging others by saying, “to anyone considering their next move in 2025: embrace the change.”
After 11 years, 84 wins, and six world titles with Mercedes, Hamilton joins Ferrari to become only the third team he has raced for in F1. (Hamilton made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007 and won the ‘08 drivers’ title before switching to Mercedes).
Hamilton officially became a Scuderia Ferrari driver on January 1 2025, just six days before turning 40 years old. But when will fans get the chance to see the seven-time champion at the wheel of a scarlet car? His first public outing with the Italian team is scheduled to be at the F1 75 Live season launch event at The O2 in London on February 18. In a celebration of the sport’s 75th anniversary, all ten teams will present their drivers and new cars.
Ferrari has then planned its own car launch from its Maranello headquarters the next day, when the 2025 car will make its debut around the private Fiorano test track. It’s expected that Lewis will do some slow ‘filming day’ running alongside his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The first major public running will then be at the pre-season test at Bahrain from February 26-28, ahead of the season opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16. With so many teams in contention for this year’s championship, it will be fascinating to see which team-and-driver combination hits the ground running when the racing begins.
