Lewis Hamilton started his rise to the top as a member of McLaren’s Formula One team, but does he personally own one of their most iconic cars – McLaren F1?
It’s safe to assume that Lewis Hamilton owns a McLaren F1 because he’s been spotted driving one on the streets of Los Angeles. His impressive car collection also includes McLaren P1 and several other supercars that set him back by millions of dollars.
Keep reading to learn more about Hamilton’s relationship with McLaren, and many impressive cars that he acquired over the years.
Hamilton’s Relationship with McLaren
Lewis Hamilton dreamed of joining McLaren’s team from an early age because his hero Ayrton Senna raced for McLaren during his prime. He tried to learn more about Formula One by studying Senna’s videos and hoped he’ll be able to continue his legacy by joining McLaren.
In 1995, Hamilton made quite an impression on the McLaren Formula One team boss Ron Dennis. He introduced himself by saying, “I won the British championship and one day I want to be racing your cars” and asked for his autograph.
Dennis reacted by writing the following words in his autograph book: “Phone me in nine years, we’ll sort something out then.” It didn’t take that long for the two men to meet again – Hamilton joined McLaren’s young driver development program in 1998.
The six-time Formula One World Champion is still the most successful racer that this program ever produced, and this was just the beginning of his working relationship with McLaren. He made his Formula One debut in 2007, as a member of their racing team.
Hamilton won his first Formula One World Championship title with McLaren in 2008 but failed to find the same success in the following few years. In 2012, he made a polarizing decision to walk out on McLaren and join Mercedes.
Hamilton’s departure from McLaren raised some eyebrows, especially because this company nurtured his career since his youth, but he described it as “the best decision of [his] life”.
“I’d already done everything I think I could have done at McLaren. I saw Mercedes as this baby about to start growing into something and I wanted to be a part of it. People saw it as a big risk but I’m a risk-taker and that’s exciting. If you’re not taking risks, you’re not living,” explained Hamilton.
Hamilton’s Car Collection
Lewis Hamilton made significant progress since leaving McLaren and won five more Formula One World Championships after joining Mercedes. He still shows his devotion to McLaren in another way – through his supercar collection.
Hamilton was spotted driving McLaren F1 in Beverly Hills in early 2020. It was previously rumored that he cashed out over $15.5 million to buy this car at the Quail Lodge Auction in 2017, but this was never officially confirmed.
This isn’t the only impressive McLaren in Hamilton’s collection since he also owns a royal blue McLaren P1. Only 375 units of this model were produced, and he reportedly cashed out $1.15 million to get his hands on one of them.
The list of the most impressive cars in his garage also includes Ferrari LaFerrari, vintage Shelby 427 Cobra, and Pagani Zonda 760LH. Mercedes also holds a special place in his heart, since he drives for their team. He made room for a couple of their cars and currently has his eyes set on one of 275 units of Mercedes-AMG One, set to be delivered in 2021.
The British racer described the cars in his collection as his “art pieces”, and claims he owns so many because he wanted to invest his money in something he’s passionate about.
“So many sportsmen – sportswomen are generally a smarter species – have squandered their money. I’m very conscious of that. I don’t know anything about wine. I don’t know a huge amount about art. But what I do know is cars and I’m very particular about them,” Hamilton told GQ.