Lewis Hamilton – whose start date at Ferrari is being kept very closely guarded – is set to receive an honour bestowed on Michael Schumacher only before him.

And that is that his base at Maranello – the iconic home of Ferrari – is expected to be the former house of founder Enzo Ferrari, something which only Michael Schumacher – the only other seven-time F1 World Champion alongside Hamilton – experienced. The claim comes from respected Italian F1 commentator Carlo Vanzini.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari start date set but ‘top secret’

The F1 2024 campaign had yet to get underway when Hamilton’s blockbuster F1 2025 move to Ferrari was announced, as the driver with a record 105 grand prix wins to his name confirmed that his history-making alliance with Mercedes was coming to an end.

Hamilton has won six of his seven titles since joining Mercedes in 2013, during a spell which saw Mercedes reel off a record-breaking eight Constructors’ titles in a row from 2014-21.

And as for when Hamilton begins life as a Ferrari driver, Vanzini claims that date has now been set. However, it remains “top secret” information.

Hamilton will replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in a multi-year deal, with Sainz duly agreeing terms for an F1 2025 switch to Williams.

And Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff – who joined Mercedes in the same year as Hamilton – recently revealed how it was Sainz’s father who first broke the news to him that Hamilton would be heading for the Mercedes exit.

Wolff, speaking on the High Performance podcast, said: “I heard the bells ringing two weeks before. The old man Sainz called me and said: ‘This is what’s happening.’

“Then a few drivers’ dads rang me up that didn’t before. So I thought: ‘OK, there’s something going on there.’

“And then I sent a text to Fred Vasseur [Ferrari team principal] saying: ‘You’re taking our driver?’

“Didn’t get any response. Very unusual for Fred, he’s a good friend. So I saw it coming.”

Wolff, when speaking to the media including PlanetF1.com on the morning after Hamilton’s Ferrari move was made official, revealed that Hamilton had spilled the beans to him around 36 hours beforehand as the duo met for breakfast at Wolff’s Oxfordshire home.

Wolff revealing to Hamilton that they had sealed a deal for Ferrari’s Simone Resta to become Mercedes’ strategic development director prompted Hamilton to break his major news.

“When Lewis arrived in the house, like he did so many years before, we had a bit of a small talk like we always do about the Christmas holidays and all of that,” Wolff recalled.

“Then I said: ‘Well, we’re recruiting from Ferrari now. We got this guy.’

“And Lewis [said]: ‘Oh, there’s something I need to tell you…’

“When he said that, that initial moment was a little bit of: ‘So this is really happening?’”

Mercedes has promoted their teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton as team-mate to George Russell from F1 2025.