'I was lucky'- Esteban Ocon recalls incredible energy in Maranello during Hamilton's Ferrari test

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari testing became a lifetime memory for many Italian Fans as they visited the Maranello Fiorano Track to witness the historic moment live through their eyes. Thousands gathered outside the testing track and saw Lewis drive the iconic Red coloured Ferrari for the first time. The 7-time world champion has never driven an F1 car other than Mercedes or Powered by them. He also never went out of the UK for any F1 testing and this is the first time he is doing actual testing outside his home country.

But the historic moment was witnessed by one F1 driver who will race against Hamilton in a different team. Haas F1 driver Esteban Ocon was also present in Maranello when Hamilton tested his first Ferrari car. The former Alpine driver also switched to a new team last year and joined the American team Haas F1.

They are the customer team of Ferrari as they use their engines, Simulators, equipment and Wind Tunnels for their car development. When Hamilton was testing his car outside the real track, Ocon was doing simulator sessions for the Haas. Eventhough Esteban was in Simulation he never failed to witness the 'Aura' that surrounded the Maranello track when Lewis Hamilton was doing his testing. The French driver recalled the crazy atmosphere during the first official testing.

'Crazy Atmosphere'- Esteban Ocon

🚨| Esteban Ocon was in Maranello on Sir Lewis Hamilton's first day with Ferrari, he describes the "crazy atmosphere" :

"I was lucky to be in the same place on the same day because I was also at the simulator at Ferrari. So there was a crazy atmosphere, people were like crazy… pic.twitter.com/i5SMDcM3pe

— sim (@sim3744) January 28, 2025

He said “I was lucky to be in the same place on the same day because I was also at the Simulator at Ferrari. So there was a crazy atmosphere, people were like crazy and it’s just wonderful to see that there is so much passion for Ferrari, for F1 in the world and that is growing non-stop. 

And it’s clear that having the greatest driver of our generation in the most titled team is just crazy. So yeah, I can't wait to be able to fight on the track with him, that’s for sure.” Esteban Ocon's name will also be in history as he became the first Formula 1 driver to have a Female race engineer Laura Mueller.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton makes first Ferrari appearance on Barcelona F1 track