The 40-year-old seven-time champion tested a 2023 car on Wednesday as part of his acclimatisation work with his new team.

His test follows two days of work at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, of which the Fiorano track is a part.

Hamilton’s running was complete by shortly after 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT). Team-mate Charles Leclerc will drive the car in the afternoon as he begins to get back up to speed after the winter break.

Ferrari will release more information about Hamilton’s running later on Wednesday.

Hamilton will be limited to a total of 1,000km (621 miles) of what is known as testing of previous cars running by F1’s regulations.

The test will help him learn the way the Ferrari engine operates and allow him to build trust and working practices with his new race engineer Riccardo Adami and the rest of the team.

Adami worked with Carlos Sainz for the last four years and before that four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton has driven only Mercedes engines throughout his 18-year F1 career.

Modern F1 engines are 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids with sophisticated energy recovery systems and complicated control processes, many of which are operated by the driver in the cockpit.

Although the multiple power and performance modes of the various engines are all designed to do similar things, each manufacturer has different software and operating procedures, with drivers requiring time to become familiarised.

The test is being held behind close doors. It has drawn significant attention and there are crowds of fans standing on the bridge overlooking Fiorano for a glimpse of the team’s new driver.

The test is running in cold, foggy conditions, which are quite typical of January in Emilia-Romagna.

Hamilton is also expected to test at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the coming weeks before experiencing the team’s 2025 model at its launch on 19 February.

Hamilton’s first official public appearance as a Ferrari driver will be on 18 February at the launch of the F1 season at the O2 in London, which all the teams and drivers are required to attend.

Three days of official pre-season testing in Bahrain will start on 26 February, before the start of the season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 14-16 March.

Almost a year since Hamilton announced his shock decision to leave Mercedes, where he won six of his seven Formula One world championships, the 40-year-old suited up on Monday for a photograph in front of team founder Enzo Ferrari’s office, standing next to a Ferrari supercar.

“There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever, and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today.”

Hamilton’s first day included a seat fitting followed by the simulator, but due to weather conditions, he is not likely to have a first outing at the Fiorano test track until Wednesday while official testing starts in Bahrain on February 26-28.

The  Briton had his worst season in Formula One last year in terms of championship position, finishing seventh overall, but did win two races after two seasons without a victory. Hamilton’s last championship win came in 2020.

He is taking the place of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who has joined Williams. Hamilton will partner with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, who are without a driver’s title since 2007 but hope to change that in the 2025 season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 14-16.

“Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together,” Hamilton said.

Attention now turns to the 2025 campaign, the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship, where big names are moving to rival teams and exciting rookies are joining the grid.

The news that Lewis Hamilton had signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari was released before the 2024 season had even begun, so the excitement levels for finally seeing the seven-time world champion in red are sky-high.

After 12 years and six individual titles with Mercedes, Hamilton – who turns 40 in January – is leaving to partner Charles Leclerc at the Italian team.

The first glimpse of Hamilton driving for Ferrari will be at pre-season testing in Bahrain from 26-28 February, before the 2025 season opener in Australia from 14-16 March.

In June, Sergio Perez signed a new two-year deal to stay at Red Bull until the end of 2026, but that hasn’t stopped speculation about his future.

The Mexican ended the campaign eighth in the drivers’ championship – 285 points behind team-mate and champion Max Verstappen.

Team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports on the grid before the finale they would “sit down this week and reflect on the season”.

Rumours have suggested either Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson could take Perez’s seat at Red Bull, with reserve driver Isack Hadjar making the step up from F2 to RB.

Oliver Bearman gets a full-time seat next year after impressively stepping in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia, and for Kevin Magnussen twice at Haas – the team he is joining.

The 19-year-old scored seven points in his three appearances in 2024 and will become the fourth British driver on the grid along with Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris in 2025.

Mercedes have opted to go down the rookie route by naming 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the driver to replace the departing Hamilton. The Italian has been promoted after just one season in Formula 2.

Also joining the grid is 21-year-old Australian Jack Doohan – son of five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan – who made his debut for Alpine at the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi. Brazilian F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, 20, has been signed by Sauber in their final season before becoming Audi.

With Hamilton incoming – and Leclerc securing a lengthy contract extension in January – Carlos Sainz was left searching for a new home after four seasons with Ferrari.

The Spaniard secured all four of his career victories with the Scuderia, including two this year in Australia and Mexico. But with Mercedes snapping up Antonelli, and Red Bull initially deciding to stick with Perez until the end of 2026, his options for a spot with a top team were limited.

Ultimately, a very persuasive James Vowles convinced Sainz to switch to Williams – a challenge the 30-year-old says he will “embrace with excitement and positivity”.

Fans can look forward to another 24-race calendar, although there are a couple of fresh things to look out for in 2025.

Australia returns to its traditional position as the first grand prix of the new season, while Bahrain and Saudi Arabia move to an April slot because of the timing of the holy month of Ramadan.

The nine-month campaign finishes in Abu Dhabi on 7 December.

Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium will host its first sprint race since 2023, joining Shanghai, Miami, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar as part of the six events for next year.

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will stage its penultimate race, with the event dropping off the calendar after 2026.

As this is a milestone year for Formula 1, the entire grid will be coming together for a special two-hour season launch event on 18 February.

Fans will gather at the O2 Arena in London from 20:00 GMT to watch all 10 teams show off their 2025 liveries together – a change from the usual individual unveilings.

How much of the newly developed cars we will get to see other than the liveries, however, remains a bit of a mystery.