Was It Fate? Hamilton Drove His Ferrari F40 To Monza With 44 Stamped On The Engine

Hamilton’s Ferrari F40 arrived at Monza with a restored engine block stamped 44, a coincidence tying his race number to the car’s backstory.

Lewis Hamilton Arrives At Monza in His New Ferrari F40

Photo by: Lewis Hamilton

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Sep 4, at 3:37am ET

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Hamilton purchased a low-mileage Ferrari F40.
Its previous owner drove the car 43 miles from Maranello.
Ferrari technicians in Maranello fully restored and recommissioned the F40 before Monza.

Lewis Hamilton drove into Monza's paddock on Thursday morning wearing a suit, tie, hat and overcoat, stepping out of a Ferrari F40 he'd spent months tracking down. The front plate read "44," his race number since he entered Formula 1.

That plate turned out to be the smaller half of the story. Once Ferrari's technicians pulled the F40's engine apart during restoration work, they found the number 44 stamped into the block itself, a coincidence Hamilton called fate when he described it to reporters at Monza.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari F40 Arrival At Monza

According to Road & Track, Hamilton called the F40 "a dream car of mine," and he was not chasing just any example. He told reporters he wanted the most authentic car he could find, with low mileage and a story worth telling, and he says he got exactly that.

The car's history explains why. Its previous owner drove it 69 kilometers (about 42.9 miles) from Maranello to his home and then never started the engine again, leaving the F40 parked for more than three decades before Hamilton's purchase of the Ferrari F40.

Rather than preserve it as a static collector's piece, Hamilton pushed for a full mechanical restoration. "It has to be done," he said. Ferrari's technicians in Maranello handled the recommissioning before the car ever touched Monza's paddock.

The result let him recreate a specific visual: emerging from a supercar in tailored clothing, echoing the kind of arrival that has become part of his identity at Ferrari race weekends. "I want to turn up in this style, in this suit, in this way, to pay homage to this sport," Hamilton said.

Lewis Hamilton Arrives At Monza in His New Ferrari F40

Lewis Hamilton Arrives At Monza In His New Ferrari F40

Photo by: Lewis Hamilton

Where 44 Turns Up On The F40's Engine

Ferrari built the F40 in the late 1980s as a lightweight, twin-turbocharged V8 supercar marking the brand's 40th anniversary, a heritage machine long before Hamilton ever sat in one. Its status as a Ferrari icon is exactly why the coincidence landed so hard with fans.

When mechanics disassembled the engine for checks, they found the number 44 stamped on the block, matching Hamilton's racing number since his rookie season. Hamilton has described it as engine number 44, but available reporting does not confirm that it was literally the 44th F40 engine built.

"It feels very much like fate," Hamilton said. He added that the car needed remarkably little once work began. He has framed the whole arrival as a way to spotlight Ferrari's history at its home grand prix.

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Hamilton has leaned into that connection all season, pairing the car with public remarks about what driving for the brand means to him. "I take it seriously. It's such a phenomenal experience to be in amongst this brand," he said, adding, "There's just nothing quite like it."

Motor1's Take: Hamilton's staged arrival turns a private purchase into a public narrative that strengthens his standing with Ferrari. It gives the marque easy PR and keeps fans engaged at home races. Watch for more heritage tie-ins at future events. They help sell stories when the racing fades.