Lewis Hamilton Scoops Content of the Year for ‘My Very Own F40’ Restoration Series

Lewis Hamilton has picked up an award for a project that didn’t involve racing. The seven-time world champion won Content of the Year at the Meta x SportsPro Athlete Honours for “My Very Own F40,” his series following the rebuild of a 1991 Ferrari F40 that had barely been driven in decades.

Ferrari’s own engineers brought the car back to life in Maranello, and Hamilton then drove it to Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. The award goes to the most engaging Reel, post or series an athlete shares away from competition, and the organizers said Hamilton’s work off the track took the spotlight this year.

“The F40 has been my dream car since I was a kid,” Hamilton said after the award was announced. “To me, it’s a work of art, and knowing the history of this particular car made bringing it back to life even more special.”

He said the film was meant to show more than a shiny end result. “With the film, I wanted to share that feeling, not just the finished car, but the restoration journey through to the moment I was able to drive it to the Monza Grand Prix,” he said.

“Getting to be creative with how we told that story was something I really enjoyed. Thanks to Meta for the recognition and to my team who helped tell such a personal story.”

A Supercar Frozen in 1991

Hamilton didn’t want just any F40. He searched for one with low mileage, authenticity and a unique history rather than buying one at auction. The first owner drove this car 69 kilometers from Maranello to his home, then parked it and never started it again.

The car had sat so long that the passenger door had never been opened. Then came a twist so bizzarre that it’s almost unbelievable. When the engine came out, mechanics found the number 44 stamped on it, matching the race number Hamilton has used throughout his F1 career.

“So it feels very much fate,” Hamilton told reporters at Monza.

Lewis Hamilton takes the F40 to the Monza Paddock

Hamilton had to choose between keeping the car as a dusty showpiece or getting it running again. He ultimately decided to get it restored so he could drive it. Ferrari Classiche in Maranello took the car apart, removed its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 and spent weeks returning it to factory condition without modernizing it.

The payoff came on September 3, when Hamilton drove into Monza’s paddock wearing a suit, tie, hat and overcoat, with a “44” plate on the front. The scene echoed his first official photo shoot as a Ferrari driver in January 2025, when he posed with an F40 in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house and the picture became one of the most-liked F1 Instagram posts of all time.

The full film, “Restoring My F40,” came out on October 6, and his first look at the finished car shows him grinning like a kid. “She looks so good. Wow, she looks brand new!” he says in the video.

That’s why this series stood out. Plenty of athletes post photos of their cars. Hamilton showed the dust, the waiting and the engine coming out, then let viewers watch a car that had sat still for 35 years finally go somewhere.

More F1 Reading

• Franco Colapinto Drives the Alpine-Themed Renault 6 Fans Took From Argentina to Brazil
• Lando Norris’ Sister Is Now One of Britain’s 71 Most Eligible Young Women
• ‘My 2027 Preparation Starts Now’: Kimi Antonelli Fires Early Warning to Formula 1 Rivals 
• Lewis Hamilton’s 400th F1 Start Sends George Russell Back to His Karting Autograph-Hunting Days