- Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Ferrari facilities in Maranello on Monday morning
- The seven-time world champion sent a message to express his emotion
- He has just over a month to start wearing scarlet red before pre-season testing.
Lewis Hamilton was seen at Maranello on Monday morning for the first time since agreeing a deal to join Ferrari last year.
Mail Sport previously reported that the seven-time world champion greeted staff and logged time in the simulator on Sunday.
He is expected to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time at the Scuderia's Fiorano test track on Wednesday, subject to change if bad weather intervenes.
He will drive an old Ferrari, probably the car of 2023, the last model allowed under F1's TPC (testing of previous cars) rules, which allow the driver 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of internal practice.
Hours after arriving in Maranello, Hamilton took to Instagram to express his excitement about racing in red, saying he “couldn't be happier.”
“There are some days that you know you will remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” he said.
Lewis Hamilton was seen entering the Ferrari facility in Maranello for the first time on Monday
He greeted Ferrari staff members on Sunday and also completed some work in the simulator.
Hamilton will debut as Charles Leclerc's teammate at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16
“I've been lucky enough to have accomplished things in my career that I never thought possible, but a part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in the red. I couldn't be happier to make that dream a reality today.
“Today we begin a new era in the history of this iconic team and I can't wait to see what history we will write together.”
Hamilton has just over a month to return to life in scarlet before pre-season testing begins in Bahrain on February 26.
And it will be a brief change until the campaign begins in Melbourne, with the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix arriving just 15 days later on March 13.
Hamilton is seeking his record eighth world drivers' title in 2025 and Ferrari's first constructors' championship in almost two decades.
He will pocket around £45m a year and has a multi-year deal with F1's oldest manufacturer.
The exact length of his contract has not been explicitly specified, but Ferrari team principal Fred Vassuer may have accidentally alluded to it last summer.
Speaking about Hamilton's shocking decision to leave Mercedes after 11 years, he said: “He (Hamilton) had to make a decision: 'Where do I have the best chance of winning the World Championship in 2025, 2026, 2027?'
Hamilton could drive for Ferrari for the first time on Wednesday, subject to weather conditions
“He said, 'Ferrari,'” Vasseur told the Financial Times, hinting that the superstar driver could be at Ferrari for three seasons.
Ahead of Hamilton on the list of F1's top earners is reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who takes home £58.9 million from Red Bull.
Lando Norris completes the podium in third, earning £27.5 million, while Hamilton's new teammate Leclerc collects £21.2 million.