‘State of emergency’ declared as Lewis Hamilton mania sweeps Maranello

Michelle Foster
Fred Vasseur with Lewis Hamilton and Benedetto Vigna

Lewis Hamilton is officially a Ferrari F1 driver

If you want a last-minute booking for a night in Maranello to catch a glimpse of Lewis Hamilton in red, there are still availabilities although traffic could be a nightmare with reports that a ‘state of emergency’ has been declared.

Maranello has been besieged by Tifosi, and the majority are there for one man: Lewis Hamilton.

‘State of emergency’ declared ahead of Hamilton’s first Ferrari run

Monday marked the seven-time World Champion’s first official day as a Ferrari driver, Day One arriving almost 12 months after he first announced he’d be a Ferrari F1 2025 driver.

The Briton spent the day posing for photographs outside Ferrari found Enzo Ferrari’s iconic house, met with team boss Fred Vasseur and his new race engineer Riccardo Adami, and drove the Scuderia’s simulator.

Amid a very busy day, he also found the time to sign autographs and pose for photographs with Ferrari’s ever-faithful Tifosi. On Monday, and for the next three years, they are his fans too.

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And they have reportedly flocked to Maranello to see the seven-time World Champion, perhaps even catch a high-speed view of him as he zooms past in a Ferrari F1-75 during his debut test at the team’s private Fiorano circuit.

It’s hype and anticipation that has not been witnessed since Michael Schumacher swapped Benetton for Ferrari in 1995.

And it is bringing Maranello to a standstill.

According to F1-Insider, a ‘state of emergency prevails in Ferrari country’ after Maranello’s mayor Luigi Zironi asked surrounding towns for support to cope with the onslaught of fans.

Meanwhile, Motorsport.com reports ‘hotels in the Sassuolo area are fully booked’ while police are enforcing ‘stricter security measures’ near the factory and the track.

How to watch Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari test

Hamilton is expected to test Ferrari’s F1-75 at the Fiorano circuit on Wednesday, the team’s 2022 car, with his new team-mate Charles Leclerc also in action.

Fans in the area can watch some of the action as there are two vantage points, one on the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ and the other Via Marsala.

The ‘Bridge of Sighs’, as it was once dubbed by respected Italian journalist Leo Turrini, is, according to motors-addict.com, a bike path that allows spectators to see the car on the main straight as well as the first three corners of the circuit.

As for Via Marsala, that’s a dead-end residential road from which fans can see the final corner.

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