Lewis Hamilton will be set for his first run in a Ferrari in a Testing of a Previous Car [TPC] day in early 2025, ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The seven-time World Champion will be ending his long association with Mercedes at the end of 2024, making the switch to the Scuderia on a multi-year deal from next season onwards.

Lewis Hamilton set for F1 2022 car test with Ferrari in early 2025
PlanetF1.com understands that an early release for Hamilton to drive in post-season testing for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi has been ruled out, with the agreement of both Hamilton and Mercedes, as promotional and farewell work was already planned for the days following the F1 2024 season finale.

This leaves the only option for his first drive in a Ferrari to come in 2025, and team principal Fred Vasseur has spoken about the options available to him and the team for next season.

While not disclosing the location, he revealed the seven-time World Champion is likely to take in some TPC running, potentially in the team’s F1 2022 car, the F1-75, with Ferrari having previously offered their drivers early tests at their in-house test track, Fiorano, in years gone by.

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Vasseur added a plan is in the works to enable Hamilton to get up to speed for when he arrives at the team next season, but he is not personally involved at this moment.

“I’m not sure that he needs tons of hours of acclimatisation,” Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

“He is experienced enough to be quick on the first day, or at least very soon. We’ll have one or two TPC days, plus the test in Bahrain, and that will be enough.

“For sure we have part of the team already focusing on ’25, on the test plan, on the communication and so, with Lewis being part of this, but not on the race team and it’s not on my mind.”

Three days of official pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain from February 26-28 2025, after it was announced that all 10 teams will take part in a first-of-its-kind car launch at London’s O2 Arena on February 18 – with every team unveiling its new-look livery on the same evening as Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary.