Italy could come to a standstill on March 16th, Emerson Fittipaldi predicting the “whole” of the country will stop to watch Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut. Hamilton will spend his 19th season in Formula 1 as a Ferrari driver having signed a multi-year deal with the Scuderia even before the first race of 2024.

The first time Hamilton dons the famous red Ferrari colors and gets behind the wheel of one of its F1 cars will be the moment he has longed for throughout his career. It is also set to be a relatively low-key event.

Lewis Hamilton’s “phobia of losing” has been credited as the biggest driving force behind his six World titles with Mercedes by the team’s trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. Hamilton said farewell to Mercedes last month,

It can also suit the promoters. Zandvoort’s decision to stop hosting F1 after 2026 points to the pressures — and costs — involved in staging a race. Spa looked in serious doubt just a few years ago, and while the interest from the local stakeholders has certainly taken an uplift since then, a couple of off years may actually suit the track.