Lewis Hamilton has taken to social media to share his excitement after appearing at Ferrari’s Italian headquarters in Maranello for the first time.

Hamilton is preparing to contest his first season with the Scuderia, having moved over from Mercedes to replace Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc’s new team-mate.

During his time at Mercedes, the Briton won six of his seven world titles, while also setting records for the most wins (105), most pole positions (104) and podium finishes (202).

But he endured a difficult final season with the team he spent 12 years with, finishing outside the top six in the drivers' championship for the first time in his career.

He also scored his lowest points in a campaign since 2013 with McLaren (189), but will be hopeful of claiming a record eighth world title with the iconic Italian team.

On Monday, Hamilton met key people and got to know the factory and team, while also taking the time to post to social media about his first official day with Ferrari.

"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 in a post on Instagram.

"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."

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A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton)

Hamilton is expected to carry out a number of pre-season tasks at Maranello this week, with Ferrari outlining how his first day at the team has panned out.

Ferrari said he was given a tour with team boss Frederic Vasseur and chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna of "the Fiorano house and the pit garage, including a look at the famous office, from where (founder) Enzo Ferrari would watch his team at work".

The statement added: "Hamilton then returned to the Scuderia HQ, where he met the management team and (vice-chairman) Piero Ferrari, before embarking on a daylong total immersion programme, visiting all the various departments to get to know the team.

"The work continues tomorrow with more technical meetings and briefings as preparations get underway for what will be a very busy season."

He is expected to drive a 2023 Formula One car at Ferrari's Fiorano test track, and will complete further days in it at Barcelona before the launch of the 2025 Ferrari.