Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari F40 Steals the Show at Monza
Lewis Hamilton hasn’t turned a wheel in anger at Monza yet, but he has already owned the paddock.
On Thursday’s media day, the seven-time world champion rolled into the Italian Grand Prix in a car that stopped conversations and slowed camera shutters: his own Ferrari F40, freshly restored and glowing with the sort of presence only true icons carry.
He stepped out dressed for the occasion, too – sharp black suit, tan overcoat – but it was the scarlet legend behind him that did most of the talking.
A dust-covered dream brought back to life
Hamilton’s F40 is no ordinary supercar purchase. The 41-year-old Briton sold his entire car collection in 2025, then hunted down this particular example – a car that had spent more than three decades forgotten in a garage, covered in dust, waiting for someone with the means and the obsession to rescue it.
Ferrari built just 1,311 F40s between 1987 and 1992. The numbers alone explain the reverence: values sit around $3 million today, and that’s before you factor in one owned by a driver of Hamilton’s stature, carrying a personalised plate with his trademark no.44.
For Hamilton, this isn’t about status. It’s about fulfilment. He has called the F40 “the car of my dreams” and spoke of wanting one since childhood. When he joined Ferrari last year, he made sure his own F40 was with him on his first day at Maranello – a personal statement parked alongside the Prancing Horse.
The story of the car’s revival runs straight through Ferrari’s heartland. After discovering the long-dormant machine, Hamilton sent it to Maranello, where factory engineers and mechanics spent weeks bringing it back to life. He publicly thanked everyone involved, describing the project as a dream come true.
The result of that work rumbled through the Monza paddock on Thursday, turbo whistles and history in its wake.
Hamilton and Ferrari: image, intent, and the Tifosi
Hamilton has always understood the theatre of Formula 1. Last year at Monza he arrived for qualifying on a tricolore Ducati, playing directly to Italian racing culture. This time, he has gone one better: a legendary Ferrari, restored in Maranello, driven by the Scuderia’s newest superstar into its home race.
It’s a powerful image for the Tifosi. A British champion, now in red, rolling up to the Temple of Speed in the very car that defined Ferrari for a generation. No slogans, no speeches. Just the shrill note of an F40 and a driver who knows exactly what it means.
Now comes the serious part. Ferrari heads into its home grand prix hunting a victory it last tasted here in 2024 with Charles Leclerc. Hamilton will try to ensure the weekend delivers more than just a memorable entrance.
The F40 turned heads on Thursday. On Sunday, the Tifosi will expect the same from the car that really matters.
