Formula One star Sir Lewis Hamilton has taken to the track for Ferrari for the first time following his shock move from Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion announced the stunning move early last year, but after seeing out his contractual commitments with Mercedes, joined up with his new team this week to begin preparations for his debut season with them.

On Tuesday night, he shared a photo on his Instagram page of him donning Ferrari's famous red overalls for the first time, before driving one of their cars for the first time at their test track in Italy the following day. While the test run was being conducted behind closed doors, crowds of people stood on a nearby bridge in hope of catching a glimpse of the star in action.

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In another post, Hamilton said it was the start of "a new era" for Ferrari, adding: "There are some days that you know you'll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days. 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. 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."

The move stunned the F1 world last year, with Hamilton signing a two-year deal with Mercedes the previous summer before choosing to exercise a one year break clause. The 40-year-old, who has an estimated net worth of around £300 million, will reportedly earn a staggering £50 million per year with Ferrari, with his contract agreed for two seasons and an option for a third in 2027.

That figure is set to smash the record for the biggest salary in F1 history, which was set by Max Verstappen this year as he banked a base salary of £47 million. Hamilton's mega-money deal is also not believed to be inclusive of performance bonuses, meaning it could still rise significantly higher if the season goes well.

Having finished seventh in his final season with Mercedes, the British driver is looking to get back on top of the podium. His last World Championship win came in 2020, when he sealed his seventh title to equal Michael Schumacher's tally and become the most successful racing driver of all time.

Since then, a lot has happened in Hamilton's life, with the driver awarded a knighthood in 2021 for services to motorsport. He invited his mother Carmen - who split from his father Anthony when he was a child - to watch him receive the honour from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle, and the following year announced he was preparing to pay a major tribute to her.

In 2022, he revealed that he was in the process of legally changing his name to include his mother's maiden name, Larbalestier, as a middle name, explaining: "None of you might know that my mum's [sur]name is Larbalestier. And I'm just about to put that in my name.

"Because I don't really fully understand the whole idea of why, when people get married, the woman loses her name. I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name."

As of 2025, however, it is unclear whether Hamilton has actually successfully changed his name yet or not.

Ahead of his Ferrari debut, which will come next month, the Stevenage-born driver has also seen his eventful romantic life placed under the microscope, having been spotted having lunch with Modern Family star Sofia Vegara earlier this month.

Hamilton was spotted at a New York restaurant with the actress, who is 12 years older than him, with TMZ reporting that the pair were "engrossed in conversation" with each other. The meeting sparked dating rumours, however these have since been played down with the two reportedly nothing more than good friends.

The F1 star is no stranger to an A-list romance, however, having famously been in an on-off relationship with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger for around eight years. The couple met at the MTV EMAs in 2007 but split up three times before calling it quits for good in 2015, leaving them both "devastated".

Following his split from Scherzinger, Hamilton has been linked with a string of high-profile names, playing down rumours that he was dating supermodel Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Rihanna, who he described as just good friends. He has also been linked with singers Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj and Shakira, as well as Kanye West's model ex-girlfriend Juliana Nalu.