The Formula 1 legend arrived at Maranello last week, where he was introduced to the team at the iconic factory as fans enjoyed his long awaited debut in red.
Hamilton’s first laps behind the wheel of a Ferrari were celebrated in front of the Tifosi, as they poured to the Fiorano track to catch a glimpse of the champion in action.
The 40-year-old’s arrival at Ferrari sees him mirror the journey of F1 legends, including his former Mercedes boss and friend Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton and Vettel reunite prior to Ferrari debut
Vettel raced with Ferrari from 2015 until 2020, where he never managed to emulate his hero, Schumacher, and earn a fifth world title with the team, after Hamilton usurped him to the title in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
However, their F1 rivalry has since translated into an off-track friendship, with Vettel a key ally alongside Hamilton during the latter stages of his career.
According to the Italian media, Corriere della Sera, Hamilton called Vettel to help him prepare for his Ferrari debut, where they swapped notes on his new race engineer Riccardo Adami.
Speaking about Vettel during his Mercedes farewell tour, Hamilton stated Vettel was ‘the best champion’ he knew and complimented his character beyond F1.
"He's the best world champion that I know because he's far more than a driver. He's someone with real passion, he's empathetic, and he cares for people," Hamilton said.
"He actually is the only other one who's tried to utilise his platform for something good. I've met so many celebrities, and so many people and there are a lot of people that don't take time for others, and I think for me that makes me- it doesn't matter how good he drives, because he's so quick anyways, we had great races together, but I think for me, we had the best races together."