Lewis Hamilton Talks About What It Was Like To Drive A Ferrari For The First Time

Throwing on a red firesuit and hopping behind the wheel of a Ferrari is one of the coolest things you can do in Formula 1, and Lewis Hamilton — who has done pretty much everything else you can do in the sport — finally got the chance to do that Wednesday.

Hamilton is getting his Ferrari tenure underway after a monstrously successful decade with Mercedes. 

Earlier in the week he visited the team headquarters in Maranello, where he was mobbed by ecstatic Tifosi (Ferrari fans) and snapped some photos.

But Wednesday it was down to business with Hamilton getting his first taste of Ferrari Formula 1 machinery.

Of course, that was not Ferrari's 2025 car or even last year's car the SF-24, instead, it was the two-year-old 2023-spec car, the SF-23. 

Still, it's an F1 car, and it would give Hamilton a taste of how Ferrari does things from a procedural and technical standpoint, with some of those things carrying over into the 2025 car.

Hamilton — who debuted a slick new yellow crash helmet with the iconic Prancing Horse front and center — talked about what it was like driving a Ferrari.

"When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face," the seven-time champ said. "It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again."

I think it's pretty cool that at age 40, Hamilton is this fired up about the sport and a new opportunity.

Now, if you're a competitor, that would make you a little nervous because they should all be on the lookout for a rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc was also on-track for the test, which took place in front of about 1,000 fans, per the Associated Press.