In January, we reported on why Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari deal goes means past Formulation 1, and you’ll learn that report right here. Two months later, it seems that we’d have simply witnessed how that might materialize within the type of him placing his design efforts into a brand new ‘F44’ supercar, primarily based on the legendary F40 from the mid-Eighties…
Motorsport.com quotes Hamilton, who races with the quantity 44 in F1, as saying this in Australia: “One of many issues I actually need to do is I need to design a Ferrari. I need to do an F44. Baseline of an F40, with the precise stick shift. That’s what I’m gonna work on for the subsequent few years.”
The Ferrari F40 was the final highway automobile authorized by Enzo Ferrari, earlier than his loss of life in 1988, and it was primarily based on Formulation 1 expertise of the time. Though over 1,300 examples had been produced, its popularity as one of many biggest analogue supercars of all time has led to costs rocketing to between $1.5-3 million, and fellow F1 driver and present world championship chief Lando Norris owns one.
It’s not clear precisely when Hamilton mentioned this, doubtlessly at a public occasion somewhat than a press convention, as Melbourne hosted the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month. However it’s price mentioning that on his first official day at Ferrari, the seven-times world champion posed subsequent to the V8-powered F40 outdoors Enzo Ferrari’s workplace constructing at its Fiorano take a look at observe. Was this a clue to what’s coming subsequent?
Hamilton has a robust Ferrari-owning historical past, shopping for a 599 GTO in 2010, earlier than changing it with a 599 SA Aperta. His assortment consists of each a LaFerrari, by which he was famously noticed driving round Beverley Hills with Justin Bieber, and an unimaginable LaFerrari Aperta.
Hamilton had been linked with being concerned in a particular version of the AMG One when he was on the Mercedes F1 group, however nothing got here to move. Final yr, Prime Gear Journal steered that Ferrari was contemplating one other addition to its ultra-exclusive “Icona” collection, alongside the Monza SP1/SP2 and Daytona SP3, and that the LaFerrari can be reimagined in some way. However maybe that is the venture it may subsequent bear in mind…
Not solely does Hamilton, who gained the dash on the Chinese language Grand Prix final weekend, carry his undoubted driving expertise to Maranello, however he brings an enormous profile and following. Knighted by the British royal household, his world attraction – comparable with fellow gigastars Tiger Woods and LeBron James – has appealed to a far broader viewers than F1 followers, and he’s additionally develop into a outstanding activist for elevated range and social justice.
His pursuits in style and music have additionally elevated his affect outdoors of the cockpit, and his philanthropism and charity work means Ferrari isn’t solely getting one of many biggest F1 drivers of all time however a real icon with mass attraction.
As Lamborghini goes from energy to energy, within the American market specifically, maybe Ferrari may reap the benefits of its F1 legend by placing his identify to its subsequent iconic supercar to place its Italian rival within the shade.
Supply: Motorsport.com
