Lewis Hamilton back in a Mercedes for first time since shock Ferrari announcement

Lewis Hamilton has been back behind the wheel of a Mercedes F1 car for the first time since his shock Ferrari announcement as he put in the laps during a Pirelli tyre test at the Jerez circuit.

Last week Hamilton shocked the motorsport world when he announced he’d be walking away from Mercedes after his 12th season with the team to move to Ferrari next year.

The Briton has signed a multi-year deal with the Scuderia, one that will reportedly set Ferrari and its parent brand Exor back a mega $446m.

Lewis Hamilton’s final run in the 2023 Mercedes W14

But before he swaps silver for red, Hamilton has one more season racing for Mercedes with his 2024 on-track action underway at Jerez on Tuesday.

The seven-time World Champion was joined by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso as they tested Pirelli prototype 2025 slick tyres.

Alonso clocked a best time of 1:18.752 during his 156 laps with Hamilton crossing the line with a fastest time of 1:18.936 as he covered 126 laps of the Spanish circuit.

Mercedes and Aston Martin were running their 2023 cars, the W14 and the AMR23.

Testing continues on Wednesday with George Russell and Lance Stroll in action.

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Hamilton found a break during his day’s test to post a message to his fans on social media after what has been a hectic seven days for the British driver.

Starting with his Wednesday breakfast with Toto Wolff where he informed his team boss he would be leaving at the end of the year, Hamilton then reportedly met with his Mercedes team in Brackley on Thursday to personally inform them.

Hours later Mercedes announced his exit with Ferrari following that up by confirming his new deal.

“The past few days have been all love,” he wrote on X.

“Thank you all, the energy and support means everything. Can’t wait to start this season. 2024 is all us.”

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