Lewis Hamilton involved in awkward F1 testing gaffe on live Sky Sports broadcast

Lewis Hamilton was involved in an awkward moment on the first day of pre-season testing as he debuted for Ferrari.

The seven-time champion took the wheel for the morning session, with team-mate Charles Leclerc stepping in for the afternoon. Despite appearing confident, Hamilton had his shaky moments as he got to grips with his new racing machine.

He veered off track twice during the first four-hour session of the week. And, after completing 40 laps at the Bahrain International Circuit, he was sat in fifth place on the timesheets while Kimi Antonelli impressed by leading the charts for Mercedes.

It was a peculiar sight for fans to witness Hamilton in a Ferrari, considering his long-standing legacy with the Silver Arrows which came to an end last season. The transition hasn't been smooth for everyone and even Formula 1's broadcast team fumbled.

He was mistakenly tagged him as a Mercedes driver in a live graphic - a blunder which graced the screens of both the F1 TV and Sky Sports broadcasts without any of the commentators noticing. But the gaffe quickly became a talking point on social media.

As Hamilton gears up for a fresh chapter at Ferrari, all eyes will be on his performance at the upcoming Australian Grand Prix where he will make his racing debut with the iconic Italian marque. Commenting on his test session, analyst Alex Brundle said: "They've done so little running before the season starts. It's [effectively] the first time [in Bahrain].

"A couple of runs around Fiorano is not going to give you a feel for it. It's narrow, it's bumpy and you just don't get enough mileage. It's going to be really interesting to see that Ferrari progress.

"An entirely new front suspension setup for Hamilton and everything that goes with that will take all of his experience to get his head around this year. It's going to be fascinating to see an entirely motivated and energised Lewis move that car forward through these three days and then into the beginning of this season. I really can't wait."

Prior to hitting the track, Hamilton had a close shave as he audaciously leapt off a moving buggy cruising through the paddock, reports the Express.

He narrowly maintained his footing and played down the risky move as he returned to the confines of the Ferrari area, chuckling to himself before conceding: "That was close."