Lewis Hamilton turned heads at the Canadian Grand Prix — not for his performance on the track, but for his surprise choice of ride to the track. The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion arrived at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 S, signaling a notable shift from his usual MV Agusta preference.
While Hamilton was previously seen riding his custom MV Agusta F4 LH44 in Monaco — a model he co-developed during MV’s brief tie-up with AMG — this time he opted for Ducati’s 216bhp superbike, complete with decals from a Montreal dealership.
The move is notable not just for the swap in brands, but for what it might suggest about the loosening of Hamilton’s product placement commitments. With MV Agusta no longer under AMG’s wing, and Ferrari (Hamilton’s 2025 team) unaffiliated with a motorcycle manufacturer, the door appears open for Hamilton to express his motorcycling tastes more freely — at least for now.
It’s a subtle but symbolic gesture. Ducati, like Ferrari, is a pillar of Italian motorsport heritage and currently dominates MotoGP with Marc Marquez at the helm. But there’s an added twist: Ducati’s parent company Audi is set to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026 — making it unlikely that Hamilton will continue to show up on Ducati machinery when they become a direct F1 rival.
Even so, Hamilton’s Ducati arrival is another reminder of his well-documented passion for two wheels. He famously swapped rides with Valentino Rossi in 2019 and is rumored to be exploring investment opportunities in MotoGP, having been linked to both Gresini Racing and KTM.
Whether it was a one-off statement or a subtle teaser of future ventures, one thing’s clear — Lewis Hamilton’s style, on and off the track, continues to evolve.
