Lewis Hamilton‘s father has said that his son’s opening outing with the Ferrari Formula 1 team “feels just like” his first day with the McLaren team 18 years ago.
Anthony Hamilton accompanied his son to Maranello to witness his first outing in a Ferrari – the SF-23 from the 2023 season – at the team’s Fiorano test venue.
Thousands arrived to catch a glimpse of the seven-time F1 champion, sporting a resplendent yellow helmet design with red accents, take to the track in a Ferrari.
Hamilton’s arrival in Italy has caused worldwide excitement amongst motorsport enthusiasts, with posts relating to his first day garnering millions of likes on Instagram.
Hamilton Sr, who has supported his son since karting, revealed to the Daily Mail that the occasion drew similarities to his nascent moments with McLaren in 2007.
“You know what? This feels just like the first day at McLaren,” he said.
Hamilton also revealed that his son has “trained like mad,” adding his “focus and belief are total” in the lead-up to his maiden race with Ferrari in Australia on March 16.
Hamilton’s rise to F1 greatness
Hamilton made his F1 debut at the same Albert Park Circuit in 2008 with McLaren, earning immediate acclaim with an impressive run to the podium with third place.
The Briton was engaged in a battle with Ferrari in his maiden campaign alongside an intra-team duel that turned sour with then-reigning champion Fernando Alonso.
Undeterred from narrowly missing out on becoming F1’s first-ever rookie champion, Hamilton set about redressing the balance in 2008, which he duly did with a dramatic final-lap overtake on Toyota’s Timo Glock to snatch the title from Felipe Massa at Interlagos.
Hamilton vacated his seat at McLaren in 2013 to join Mercedes, in what was then an eyebrow-raising move, but Hamilton had the final word, winning a further six titles between 2014 and 2020.
Hamilton’s and Ferrari’s names had often been linked with a potential union at some point in the Briton’s career, but as years went on, it appeared as if he would remain with the Brackley-based squad for the remainder of his career.
But in a move that shocked F1 last February, Hamilton announced he would join the Scuderia on a “multi-year” deal, ending his successful partnership with Mercedes, and joining up with Ferrari’s protege Charles Leclerc.
READ MORE – How Ferrari set about erasing Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes memory
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