Now it's all true: this was the phrase that came to mind last January 20th of all Ferrari fans, but also simple motor enthusiasts, after learning of Lewis Hamilton's official arrival in Maranello as an official driver for the Scuderia. Having dreamed of this moment since he was a child, the seven-time world champion crowned this dream in the first months of the new year, setting foot in the historic home of the Prancing Horse for the first time and then experiencing, just a few days later, his "first" at the wheel of a red single-seater, taking to the track at Fiorano at the wheel of the SF-23, from 2023.
A memorable day
And for this historic moment for his career and for the world of F1, Sir Lewis wanted all the people closest to him at his side: his family and not only to experience that memorable moment, leaving nothing to chance in terms of presentation to the team or communication. Last January 20, in fact, it was impossible not to come across - between the web and social media - the first photo of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello, next to the Ferrari F40 and in front of Enzo Ferrari's house, in Fiorano. An iconic shot, in which nothing was left to chance: from the look, a black coat on the shoulders over a blue pinstripe, double-breasted, on a dark tie and white shirt. Without forgetting the shoes with red soles. In the background, as mentioned, the house with red windows, in which many have found a reference to the seven world titles won by "The Hammer". And the result proved them right, given that the photo had a record return on social media, totaling 5.7 million likes on Instagram.
A "No" behind the shot
And yet, despite nothing leaking out about it, behind that photo there was a discussion between the Prancing Horse and the English driver which apparently resulted in a "no" from the Maranello company. According to what Fuvio Solms revealed on Autosprint, Hamilton wanted a black F40 to "serve as a backdrop" for the image, but received a firm refusal from the company's top brass, who were firm in emphasizing the principle that Ferrari remains, drivers pass away...
"Lewis had asked for it to be black. [...] Everything would have been perfect in his interpretation of his debut as a Ferrari driver, that is: if the F40 represents the Ferrari century, it is black and transmits my message of fighting discrimination, it means that I am Ferrari. But they told him no: not so much because an F40 was not available in the Ferrari Classiche department at the time [...], but for a matter of principle."
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Main cover photo www.ferrari.com
