Lewis Hamilton says helium has "realised his dream" and his archetypal authoritative time astatine Ferrari marked a "new epoch successful the past of this iconic team".
Hamilton, 40, began his preparations for his debut play with his caller squad connected Monday astatine the Ferrari mill successful Maranello.
The seven-time satellite champion signed for Ferrari successful January past twelvemonth but contractual commitments to Mercedes prevented immoderate substantive contacts until the extremity of 2024.
"There are immoderate days that you cognize you'll retrieve everlastingly and today, my archetypal arsenic a Ferrari driver, is 1 of those days," helium said successful a station connected Instagram.
"I've been fortunate capable to person achieved things successful my vocation I ne'er thought possible, but portion of maine has ever held connected to that imagination of racing successful red. I couldn't beryllium happier to realise that imagination today.
"Today we commencement a caller epoch successful the past of this iconic team, and I can't hold to spot what communicative we volition constitute together."
Hamilton volition walk his archetypal time gathering cardinal radical and getting to cognize the mill and team. He is besides apt to effort retired the 2025 car successful the team's simulator.
The Briton is expected to thrust a 2023 F1 car astatine Ferrari's Fiorano trial way aboriginal successful the week, and volition implicit further days successful it astatine Barcelona earlier the motorboat of the 2025 Ferrari connected 19 February.
The 2023 car is the astir caller Hamilton is permitted to thrust nether F1's investigating restrictions.
Among the differences to which helium volition person to accommodate is that this volition beryllium the archetypal clip successful Hamilton's 18-year F1 vocation that helium has driven a car that does not usage a Mercedes engine.
Official F1 pre-season investigating is astatine Bahrain connected 26-28 February, wherever Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc volition stock the 3 days of moving equally.
Team main Frederic Vasseur has said that Hamilton faces "a challenge" getting up to velocity successful the abbreviated clip disposable earlier the commencement of the play successful Australia from 14-16 March.
Vasseur said astatine Ferrari's Christmas luncheon past month: "It is not casual but helium is coming with his ain experience. But helium is not the rookie of the year, I americium not disquieted astatine each astir this."
Hamilton volition person a spot to unrecorded successful Italy to assistance his assimilation into Ferrari, which is regarded arsenic the nationalist team.
Hamilton and Ferrari volition look alongside the different teams astatine the authoritative F1 motorboat astatine London's O2 Arena connected 18 February earlier returning to Italy for Ferrari's unveiling of the caller car the pursuing day.