F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Makes Shocking Supercar Admission - 'Something Missing'

Saajan Jogia | Nov 14, 2024

2024 Italian Grand Prix, Friday / Sam Bloxham

As a Formula 1 driver, one might naturally expect Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to be an avid collector of the latest supercars and hypercars fresh off the showroom floor. However, the seven-time world champion has revealed his fading interest in modern fast machines, suggesting that "there's something missing" in them. Instead, he has developed a passion for classic cars, drawn by their authentic sound and emotion, along with a growing interest in art.

Hamilton's recent announcement of his move to Ferrari for 2025 has made waves across the world of F1. His 12-season tenure with Mercedes marked the peak of his career, yielding six of his seven world championships before the ground effect regulations were introduced in 2022. Since then, Mercedes has grappled with performance challenges, managing only limited success until a brief resurgence this season.

In search of his eighth championship title, Hamilton decided to make the big leap to F1's oldest team, Ferrari. However, the 39-year-old driver has also taken a leap from the world of supercars and hypercars to the realm of classic cars and art, finding little appeal in the new machines, which he feels lack individuality and look much the same. Revealing that his last purchase was the Mercedes-AMG ONE, also known as Project One, Hamilton said:

“The last car I purchased was the Project One.

“Of course, I’m always looking at cars at home and see what would come out.

“But honestly, most of the cars today, they’re just all looking the same. There’s something missing.

“The old classics are the ones I would look at. If I was ever to go and buy another car, most likely it’s going to be an old classic, for the sound, for the emotion.

“There’s not a lot of brands today that are encapsulating that emotion. It’s not the same.”

With his new car ambitions parked to the side, the Briton also revealed that he was discovering new artists, particularly black artists from Africa, aiming to recognize their talent and support them by purchasing their art. He added:

“I’m more into art nowadays.

"So that’s the sort of thing that I would indulge in, is discovering new artists, and particularly like black artists that are coming out of Africa, for example. So that’s what I generally would buy.”

With three races remaining before the conclusion of the 2024 season, Hamilton's goal is to end his journey with Mercedes on a high note, but the recent races saw him face challenges with his W15 F1 car, particularly with the car's grip levels. In the most recent Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton finished tenth place.