Lewis Hamilton promises good times to Ferrari team members ahead of first home race in red
Lewis Hamilton is set to compete in his first home race as a Ferrari driver this weekend at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. With the grid arriving in Imola for the start of the European leg, the seven-time champion shared an emotional message to the Ferrari workforce, pledging to give his all in front of the Tifosi.
Ferrari's official X handle posted a special video with Hamilton at Maranello on his signing day, meeting fans, signing autographs, and getting behind the wheel of his #44 SF-25, captioned:
"Another first in Lewis's journey in red 🇮🇹 "
The return to Imola carries immense historical weight for Ferrari, with the circuit located just 80 km from Maranello. While Monza is usually considered the home race for Ferrari, Imola, renamed Emilia Romagna in 2020, also holds significance due to its proximity. The Scuderia comes back with renewed hopes and a new face leading the charge in its fifth race at the circuit.
This will be Lewis Hamilton's first Imola outing as a Ferrari driver, and expectations are high from fans who have waited for the seven-time world champion in red on Italian soil. Speaking in the video shared by the team, the Briton opened up about the emotional pull of representing Ferrari at home.
"I'm getting the feel, the love and the desire and the passion from every single person that Ferrari touches. Something I've never experienced before. Coming to Italy for the first time as a Ferrari driver, I'm both nervous and also excited to get out to be actually in Italy and being home with the team in their home country, I think is something that I'm really really looking forward to experiencing," he said.
Hamilton reportedly became one of the highest-paid drivers in Formula 1, earning around $60 million (or €55 million) annually, after ending his 12-year association with Mercedes and signing for the Prancing Horse. However, the 2025 season so far hasn't quite delivered the results Hamilton or Ferrari had hoped for.
Despite a strong start with a Sprint win in China, Hamilton has not found the podium, struggling with SF-25's inconsistency. Hamilton's eighth-place finish in Miami underlined those issues as he is yet to finish above his teammate Charles Leclerc. Still, the Briton remains hopeful and determined to help Ferrari turn things around.
"Thank you for the welcome that you've given me to be in the family and the team. I am incredibly honored to be a part of it. I'm working very hard to make sure that we get the results that you deserve and the team deserves and I won't give up until I achieve that," Hamilton added in the video (0:27 onwards).
Hamilton's relationship with Imola is a fond one. In 2020, during the pandemic-affected season, he won the race driving for Mercedes as F1 returned to the circuit after 14 years. Since then, Red Bull's Max Verstappen has taken victory at the venue in all three editions held post-2021.
'A first in red': Ferrari marks Lewis Hamilton's Imola debut with stunning photos from Maranello
Ferrari took to Instagram ahead of the first weekend of the European triple-header to highlight Lewis Hamilton's return to Imola in red. The carousel post featured visuals of Hamilton in front of the marque's iconic windows adorned with a prancing horse flag and inside the historic headquarters, with the caption:
"Home debut incoming 🏡"
The upcoming race at Imola is the seventh round of the 2025 calendar and marks the beginning of a crucial European leg for Ferrari. With small upgrades expected here and in Monaco, followed by a major front-wing change in Barcelona, the team is banking on momentum and morale heading into summer.
For now, though, all eyes will be on Lewis Hamilton as he steps out in front of the Tifosi for the very first time in Ferrari red. A strong showing here could reignite momentum for Ferrari in what has so far been a stuttering campaign.