Hamilton “still pinching himself” as Ferrari race day debut nears

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating Lewis Hamilton’s first official race weekend in red, you’re certainly not the only one. For a driver typically known for his relatively cool and calm demeanor, the 40-year-old Ferrari driver is just as excited (possibly even more) about next week, and trying as much as he can to play it somewhat cool as he prepares to set off for Australia in preparation for the 2025 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne. 

In a short video interview with the BBC, Hamilton divulges a bit of his personal excitement and realization as his first race with Ferrari quickly arrives.

“I’m still pinching myself,” he says. “Next week when I get to the race, I’m going to be starting a grand prix in red. Wow. I don’t have the words to really explain just how excited I am.”

After years of sporting mostly white or black firesuits (his time with McLaren and Mercedes), red is quite an adjustment for the eyes already. He admits it caught him off guard the first time he truly saw himself, in the bathroom of all places — shared in a recent interview with Time. Pausing to really take in his reflection, he admits he likes what he sees. “The suit looked so good on me,” he says in the article. “I’m like, damn.”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Despite the mental and visual adjustments of a new and brightly colored uniform, and adding on learning an entirely new car engineered and crafted outside of the world of Mercedes he’s long been associated with, Hamilton is embracing this exciting newfound chapter in his career, racing with one of the most storied teams on the grid. And in his interviews it appears he might be more excited about his own “fan-like” dream coming true. It’s fitting then, that with F1 bringing Melbourne back to the season opener on the calendar, that he’s able to start this incredible next chapter where he began his first one with F1 back in 2007 — at Melbourne. 

That first appearance on the Formula 1 grid nearly 20 years ago with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team making for one remarkable debut. Clad in white (with a hint of another red hue), Hamilton made a stunning rookie run to finish third. Already on everyone’s radar as a promising rookie, snagging a podium in his debut race set the tone, and he’d finish out the season second overall in the drivers’ points. The following year, he further proved his prowess by earning his very first of what would become seven total World Drivers’ Championship titles as of today.

With such an incredible introduction to the start of his career, there’s no guarantee that the same or similar outcome will come to fruition on race day in Melbourne. Ferrari didn’t come away with any big or exciting news or stats from Pre-Season testing in Bahrain last week. But testing is of course not a guarantee to how the cars and team will perform come race day. According to Hamilton, they are as best prepared as they can be given the short space of time that he, personally, has had with the team.

As such, Hamilton, and Ferrari, will likely be more focused on the task at hand, while every bit as excited, or more, than the fans are when he does arrive in all red come next week.

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