Lewis Hamilton looked effortlessly stylish as he walked the paddock ahead of his Ferrari debut at the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday.

The British world champion, 40, sported a sharp red and white checkered structured shirt paired with gradient blue jeans.

Adding to his chic ensemble, he opted for chunky brown square-toe boots and shielded his eyes with gold-framed sunglᴀsses.

The Formula One star appeared deep in concentration ahead of his highly anticipated race later in the day.

The seven-time world champion qualified eighth in his first compeтιтive outing in the red Ferrari since his £50 million-a-year move from Mercedes.

Lewis was more than two-tenths behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured seventh on the grid. Meanwhile, McLaren dominated the front row, with Lando Norris taking pole position and Melburnian Oscar Piastri lining up beside him.

Lewis Hamilton looked effortlessly stylish as he walked the paddock ahead of the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday

The British world champion, 40, sported a sharp red and white checkered structured shirt paired with gradient blue jeans

Speaking about the race, he said: ‘I have never driven the car in the wet. I don’t even know where the wet switch is. I don’t know which ʙuттons I have got to switch so that is going to be new. We are using Brembo brakes, which I have not used since I was much younger.

‘What settings am I going to have to use with this car? It is all different.

‘When you qualify eighth you hope for it to be wet, but for me I have got three laps to learn the car in the wet, and then I have got to go out and race.

‘The wet has often been something I have enjoyed. Growing up in the UK, it has been a comfort zone for me. But for the first time in the wet I will be in an uncomfortable position. It will be a shock to the system when I get out there. I will be learning on the fly and giving it everything.’

It comes after the star recreated a scene from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off featuring his dream Ferrari car.

The F1 driver, who left Mercedes to join Ferrari for the 2025 season, plays the garage employee who takes the Ferrari for a joyride through the streets of Chicago.

The 1986 comedy features Hamilton’s favourite car of all time, the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder.

Lewis, who usied his production company, Dawn Apollo Films, to place himself in the movie, shared the clip to Instagram ahead of the Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Adding to his chic ensemble, he opted for chunky brown square-toe boots and shielded his eyes with gold-framed sunglᴀsses

The star took time to speak to press as he made his way through the paddock

The Formula One star appeared deep in concentration ahead of his highly anticipated race later in the day

In the caption he wrote: ‘No better way to start the season than by fulfilling another dream.

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has been one of my favourite movies since I was a kid. This is to pay homage to the iconic film and to celebrate my first season with Ferrari. It definitely took a lot of cutting edge tech, production and planning to get right.

‘Had to get the exact car too… it’s been a dream car since seeing the movie. Shout out to the legendary @edwardnortonofficial for coming along for the ride. This is the energy and excitement I’m bringing to the track this year. ANDIAMO !!

‘Brought to you by @dawnapollofilms & Large Eyes. Special thanks to Paramount Pictures and everyone who helped make this happen.’

Lewis is still ‘pinching himself’ ahead of his first Grand Prix for Ferrari after his controversial switch from rivals Mercedes at the end of last season.

Hamilton, who was at PUMA x Ferrari 20 Years of Speed celebration, said about his move to Ferrari: ‘Now embarking on something brand new, for me. And something I didn’t think would happen when I turned 40. And I’m still pinching myself.

‘Next week when I get to the race, I’m going to be starting a Grands Prix, in red. Like, wow. It’s… I don’t have the words to really explain just how excited I am. But I’m trying to just stay cool and calm, but for sure, arriving in red (at Melbourne) is going to be cool.’

Hamilton, who only officially started for Ferrari in January, conceded that the short turnaround wasn’t ideal ahead of the Australian grand prix but was excited to get back to racing again.

Following the race, the seven-time world champion qualified eighth in his first compeтιтive outing in the red Ferrari since his £50 million-a-year move from Mercedes

The F1 star survived a spin during the second session in Melbourne

‘It’s been a long winter, but it’s also been very short. But I’m really grateful we had good testing last week.

Read More Lewis Hamilton tries a spot of acting as he recreates Ferrari scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

‘I can’t believe the race is already next week, so I’m already starting to make my venture to Australia on Friday. So, that’s when it really starts to… it’ll start to sink in a little bit as the weekend arrives. This weekend, before. And I feel excited.

‘I feel we are as best prepared as we could be, given the short space of time that I have had.

‘There’s still things to learn but I’m just excited to get going. I love racing. So, all the other stuff is stuff I love less. Racing is what I love. Being at Melbourne is going to be very reminiscent of my first Grands Prix there.’

The seven-time world champion, also opened up on being at Ferrari and his feelings since making the switch.

‘Every day here is just such a special feeling, being at work every day. You don’t feel like you’re at work and you don’t want to leave. It’s pretty iconic.

‘I mean, look at this place we’re in now. With Puma, and with all the historic cars they have here. It’s great to be able to finally see, first hand Ferrari’s history.’

It comes after the star recreated a scene from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off featuring his dream Ferrari car 

The F1 driver, who left Mercedes to join Ferrari for the 2025 season, plays the garage employee who takes the Ferrari for a joyride through the streets of Chicago

In the caption he wrote: ‘No better way to start the season than by fulfilling another dream’

The celebration was also the launch of Ferrari’s race kit for the 2025 season, and Maria Valdes, Puma Group Chief Product Officer, was keen to highlight the legacy of Ferrari in the race suit.

‘I think we had a fantastic 2025 inspiration, this was the perfect blend of innovation and pure performance as well as Ferrari legacy.

‘I think it’s a unique year as well, not only because of the 20 years of partnership, but also because we have fantastic drivers in the Ferrari team.

‘Our mission always is to serve the athlete first, so our intention is always to have the perfect fit, the perfect comfort and blend all our innovation for them to be the most successful team during this year.’