The only team to have competed in every season since the F1 championship began, Ferrari are so intrinsically linked to the sport that it’s hard to imagine a time where the Prancing Horse wouldn’t be on the grid.

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With a record 248 Grand Prix wins, 16 constructors titles and 15 drivers championships, Ferrari are the heavyweight team in F1.

But it’s been some lean years at Maranello with the team’s last constructors title in 2008 and last driver champion in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen.

Before Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher won five straight between 2000 and 2004 with his other two coming in 1994-95 with Benetton.

While Hamilton won his first title with McLaren, he’s been with Mercedes since 2013, although there has long been speculation that he’d join Ferrari in a symbolic move to break the driver’s championship record with the iconic brand.

So when Hamilton blindsided the grid to announce he would be heading to Maranello for 2025 before the start of last season, the news almost seemed unbelievable.

But for Ferrari fans still not believing they’d nabbed one of the greatest drivers in F1 history until they saw him in red, they can stop pinching themselves.

Hamilton had his first day at Maranello, meeting the engineers and executives.

Sharing a pic of himself wearing a sharp suit, Hamilton’s post went instantly viral.

At time of writing, it had over 4.6m likes with comments such as “OMG IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING”.

Hamilton himself sounded like he’d been counting down the days for his first day at his new team.

“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.

“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.”

He added more photos later on meeting the bosses, engineers and fans who flocked to catch a glimpse of the F1 legend.

Despite turning 40, Hamilton is looking to claim a record eighth title, a title he feels was stolen from him in the controversial finish to the 2021 season, when a yellow flag and stewards decision allowed Max Verstappen to claim his first title.

If anyone is going to make history though, it’s Hamilton, who is the winningest driver in F1 history and the first driver to ever win a race — or two — after competing in their 300th race.

And if he wins another one, he’ll also move into the top 10 of oldest ever Grand Prix winners — for the record, Luigi Fagioli is the oldest Grand Prix winner when he won the 1951 French Grand Prix at the age of 53 years and 22 days.

Ferrari are excited to get the relationship underway as well, releasing a rare statement about Hamilton’s first day.

“Lewis Hamilton’s Scuderia Ferrari HP adventure is now underway,” the statement read.

“Early this morning, the seven-time world champion arrived at the team’s Maranello headquarters at via Enzo Ferrari 27.

“From there he went to the Fiorano track where, against the backdrop of Enzo Ferrari’s house, in the small square now named after the only other seven-time Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher, he was met by Team Principal, Fred Vasseur and Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna.

“The traditional first day’ photos were taken there and even the weather helped to make Lewis feel at home, with some typically British overcast skies and drizzle.

“Also on hand was a Ferrari F40, Lewis’ favourite supercar.

“Next on Lewis’ agenda was a short visit to the Fiorano house and the pit garage, with Vasseur and Vigna, including a look at the famous office, from where Enzo Ferrari would watch his team at work.

“Hamilton then returned to the Scuderia HQ, where he met the management team and Piero Ferrari, before embarking on a daylong total immersion program, visiting all the various departments to get to know the team.

“The work continues tomorrow with more technical meetings and briefings as preparations get underway for what will be a very busy season.”

Hamilton’s move stunned the F1 grid, coming just months after he admitted on camera to Netflix’s Drive to Survive that he could never envisage himself driving for another team.

And while Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested he felt a move might be on the cards, Hamilton’s move scuppered any chance of the team signing a big name.

“I had it on my radar Lewis would go. I couldn’t understand why he’d change to another team before we knew if we were going to be competitive,” he said in tell-all book, Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane.

“It also didn’t give me time to react. I possibly missed out on negotiating with other drivers who signed deals a few weeks earlier, like Leclerc and Norris.”

Hamilton will be replaced by 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025.