Lewis Hamilton Behind His Mercedes Successor Antonelli As F1 Testing Begins

Lewis Hamilton was fifth-fastest in his first session of preseason testing with Ferrari as his replacement at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, posted the fastest time.

The 18-year-old Italian rookie topped the standings among the 10 drivers on track in Wednesday's morning session, also managing a joint-best 78 laps completed. Liam Lawson was .132 of a second off the pace despite a spin.

Hamilton was .406 down in fifth as he completed 70 laps in the new Ferrari SF-25. Times in testing often don't reflect a driver or car's true pace because of different strategies.

The 40-year-old British driver left Mercedes to join Ferrari this season after spending 12 years and winning six of his seven world titles with the Silver Arrows.

After Hamilton drove out of the garage in the red car No. 44 at the circuit in Bahrain, F1's social media posted the message: "Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari driver" followed by a heart emoji.