Lewis Hamilton has unveiled the full story of his painstaking Ferrari F40 restoration in a new video on his YouTube channel, offering fans an inside look at a project close to his heart.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion made headlines when he arrived at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in September, driving his newly-restored, classic red Ferrari F40. The car, featuring Hamilton’s signature number 44 on the license plate, turned heads both on and off the track.
Hamilton’s photoshoot with the F40 outside the F1 paddock—dressed in a black suit and tan overcoat—echoed his first iconic Ferrari photoshoot at Maranello in January 2025. That image, showing Hamilton posing with an F40 in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house, quickly became the most-liked F1 Instagram post of all time.
In his latest video, Hamilton shares the remarkable backstory of his F40:
“When I joined Ferrari, my first shoot with the team was with this car. It’s just such an iconic car. It was picked up in 1991, driven just 69km, then parked in a garage and never started again. You just think of the joy the original owner felt—and then it was never driven.”
When he finally received his restored F40 in September 2026, Hamilton couldn’t contain his excitement:
“She looks so good. Wow, she looks brand new!”
Hamilton also reflected on the honor of driving for Ferrari—a dream his childhood hero Ayrton Senna never realized.
“It’s insane to be at Ferrari and have an F40. Just think of all the legends who’ve been here. I think about how Ayrton Senna would have loved to drive for this team. It would have been incredible to see.”
Hamilton’s F40 journey is a celebration of automotive history, personal ambition, and the enduring magic of Ferrari.
