Ferrari have released Lewis Hamilton’s first team radio message in rare footage from his debut test with the team at Fiorano.
Almost a year after his move from Mercedes was announced, Hamilton took to the track for the first time as a Ferrari driver earlier this week.
Lewis Hamilton’s first team radio message released by Ferrari
The seven-time World Champion completed 30 laps behind the wheel of the SF-23, the car driven in competition by new team-mate Charles Leclerc and predecessor Carlos Sainz during the 2023 season.
Reports from Fiorano have claimed that Hamilton acquitted himself well on his Ferrari debut, requesting only a few modifications to the steering wheel after fears that he would insist on sticking with the controls he had memorised at Mercedes.
Hamilton’s initial bond with new race engineer Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Sainz and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, was also described as ‘positive’.
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However, it has been suggested that Hamilton struggled with the pedals of the SF-23, resulting in a couple of mistakes as he sought to up his pace.
Hamilton is said to have tried various adjustments to the pedals at Fiorano without finding a comfortable solution, with Ferrari planning a fix ahead of their second TPC (Testing of Previous Car) test of the winter in Barcelona next week.
Unlike official F1 testing, Ferrari are under no obligation to publish Hamilton’s lap times from the private test at Fiorano.
However, the team have offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the seven-time World Champion’s maiden outing by releasing rare footage of Hamilton’s first team radio message as a Ferrari driver.
In the clip, Adami is heard making sure that the team radio is working, with Hamilton unable to contain his emotions after his first run in a Ferrari.
The full exchange unfolds as follows:
Adami: “Radio check, Lewis.”
Hamilton: “Wow! Whew! Hehe. It’s a… wow, that was amazing.”
In a statement published hours after his first test, Hamilton described his on-track debut for Ferrari as “one of the best feelings of my life.”
He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t sure how many more firsts I had but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning, was one of the best feelings of my life.
“When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face. 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 twenty years later, feeling those emotions all over again.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the Tifosi! But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring.
“That passion runs through their veins and you can’t help but be energised by it.
“I’m so grateful for the love I have felt from everyone in Maranello this week, we have a lot of work to do but I can’t wait to get started.”
In a post on Instagram, he later added: “Settling in. Thank you to the Tifosi and everyone at Ferrari for the warm welcome.”
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Hamilton is set to participate in two further private runs before the start of official F1 pre-season testing next month.
Ferrari are to stage a second TPC test with the SF-23 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the home of F1’s Spanish Grand Prix, between January 28-30.
Hamilton and Leclerc are expected to arrive in Barcelona on Monday, with the team planning to set up at the track this weekend.
The Scuderia will remain in Barcelona for a two-day Pirelli tyre test on February 4-5, when Hamilton will get a rare opportunity to test the team’s 2024 car.
Under F1 rules, only cars older than two years can be used for TPC tests in order to prevent competitors from gaining a competitive advantage for the current season.
However, Ferrari will be allowed to run a so-called mule car – effectively a heavily adapted version of the 2024 chassis – to assist Pirelli’s development of the new tyres for the F1 2026 season.
The mule car will simulate the downforce and performance levels of the radically different F1 cars expected for 2026, which will see a move to 50 per cent electrification and the introduction of active aerodynamics.
As well as sweeping changes to the chassis and engines, the new rules for F1 2026 will also see the tread of the tyres will be reduced by 25 millimetres at the front and 30mm at the rear.
It is common for teams to produce mule cars to assist tyre development ahead of major rule changes, with Ferrari previously fielding a revised version of their 2015 car in 2016 ahead of the following year’s regulation changes.
The mule version of the SF15-T featured a larger rear wing and skirts in an attempt to simulate the increased downforce of the new cars for 2017.
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