Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s most successful driver of all time, has arrived for his first day at Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy, and says it is a dream come true to race for the Italian team.

Almost a year since Hamilton announced his shock decision to leave Mercedes, where he won six of his seven Formula One world championships, the 40-year-old suited up on Monday for a photograph in front of team founder Enzo Ferrari’s office, standing next to a Ferrari supercar.

“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever, and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram.

“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.”

Hamilton’s first day included a seat fitting followed by the simulator, but due to weather conditions, he is not likely to have a first outing at the Fiorano test track until Wednesday while official testing starts in Bahrain on February 26-28.

The Briton had his worst season in Formula One last year in terms of championship position, finishing seventh overall, but did win two races after two seasons without a victory. Hamilton’s last championship win came in 2020.

He is taking the place of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who has joined Williams. Hamilton will partner with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, who are without a driver’s title since 2007 but hope to change that in the 2025 season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16.

“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,” Hamilton said.

Aljazeera