Towards the first Grand Prix
The Ferrari world still seems to be reeling from the enormous media impact of Lewis Hamilton’s first day in red. The seven-time world champion was cheered by a crowd of fans during his first laps driving the SF-23, tested at Fiorano on Wednesday. Having completed his debut outing in the Prancing Horse suit, Hamilton’s next step will be to contest his first official GP as a Ferrari driver.
Fate has played its hand here: after years of Formula 1 seasons opening in Bahrain, the 2025 championship will once again kick off Down Under in Australia. The Melbourne circuit has also been the venue for Lewis Hamilton’s two previous career debuts: his first in F1 with McLaren in 2007 and his first race with Mercedes in 2013.
The precedents
Lewis Hamilton’s maiden outing with McLaren, as a rookie from Great Britain, remains one of the standout moments of his career. Starting from fourth on the grid, the future ‘The Hammer’ emerged third after the first corner, overtaking his teammate—and two-time reigning world champion—Fernando Alonso on the outside. By the end of the race,Fernando Alonso, favored by team strategy, finished second, while Lewis Hamilton secured an impressive third place, immediately beginning to build his sporting legend.
In contrast, his 2013 debut with Mercedes was far less iconic. Lewis Hamilton was very quick in qualifying, securing third behind the two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. However, in the race, he slipped back to finish fifth, 45 seconds behind the winner, Kimi Raikkonen. Ironically, the “Iceman” also claimed victory in the 2007 race.
Finally, a small superstitious note: Ferrari’s last two world champions, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, both made their debuts in red at Melbourne. Fans are free to make all the good-luck gestures they deem necessary.
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