Fans took to social media to posit an interesting theory surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s unveiling at Ferrari after the Brit joined the team on Monday at Maranello.
Hamilton was spotted in the early hours of the morning entering the Scuderia’s facility and, upon hearing the news, Ferrari fans gathered outside the building en masse to get a glimpse of the all-time great.
The Brit posted a photo on social media of him standing outside a red house, next to what appears to be a scarlet red Ferrari F40, which sparked a wild theory online.
A fan noted that the house had seven windows, a possible denotation to the number of World Drivers’ championships Hamilton has won, and one door, which may symbolise that his arrival at the Prancing Horses will open the gates to him winning a record-breaking eighth title.
Hamilton, who has logged the most race wins in F1 history (105), tied Michael Schumacher for seven titles in 2020.
A year later, his historic title fight with Max Verstappen saw him controversially miss out on breaking the record after a blunder from race director Michael Masi in the final race of the season.
A fan noticed that the house in Lewis Hamilton’s photo shoot with Ferrari had seven windows and one door, which may symbolise Ferrari opening the door to him winning an eighth title
Fans gathered outside Maranello to get a glimpse of the seven-time World Drivers’ champion
However, over three years on, Hamilton hopes to return to the top of motorsport with Ferrari and took to Instagram on Monday to express his excitement over racing in red, stating that he ‘couldn’t be happier’.
‘There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a Ferrari driver, is one of those days,’ he said.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today.
‘Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together.’
Mail Sport previously reported that the Brit greeted staff and logged time on the simulator on Sunday.
He is expected to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time at the Scuderia’s Fiorano test track on Wednesday, subject to a rejig if bad weather intervenes.
He will drive an old Ferrari, probably the 2023 car – the latest model allowed under F1 TPC (testing of previous cars) rules – that permits a driver 1,000km (620 miles) of in-house practice.
Hamilton has just over a month to ease into life in scarlet red before pre-season testing commences in Bahrain on February 26.
Hamilton greeted Ferrari’s staff members on Sunday and also completed some simulator work
Hamilton could drive for Ferrari for the first time on Wednesday, subject to weather conditions
And it will be a short turnaround until the campaign kicks off in Melbourne, with the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix arriving just 15 days later on March 13.
With a formidable duo of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari are seeking their first Constructors’ championship in nearly two decades.
The 40-year-old will pocket around £45million per year for his services and is on a multi-year deal with F1’s oldest manufacturer.
Meanwhile, his new team-mate Leclerc rakes in £21.2m and will be at Maranello until 2029.