Lewis Hamilton has been hinting he’s not into road cars for years as he sells his entire collection

The fact that Lewis Hamilton has sold his entire car collection, estimated to be worth £13million, has come as a surprise to many. After all, he’s a racing driver, a car lover, a petrolhead. But if you look back over the things he’s said about road cars in the past, he hasn’t been overly interested in them for a long time. 

Talking ahead of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion confirmed his decision to sell his assets.

“I don’t have any cars anymore,” he said. “I don’t have any cars, so I got rid of all my cars. I’m more into art nowadays. If I was going to get a car, it would be the F40. But that’s a nice piece of art.”

Hamilton’s lack of interest in driving on the road became apparent in his 2019 Netflix appearance on David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. When asked about his driving habits, he admitted he had recently been pulled over: 

“The thing is, back in the day, probably in the ’80s it would have been cool, ‘No wonder, he’s a racing driver, of course he’s going to speed on the road,’ but today, you’re viewed so much more, there are kids watching you,” he told the host. “Honestly, I’m really chilled on the road. I don’t particularly enjoy driving, so I don’t drive a lot.”

The audience laughed in response, with the seven-time champion adding: “Racing, I like. That came out wrong. I love the racing part, but there’s no competition on the road. And also, there’s a lot of crazy drivers out there.”

He continued, adding a funny anecdote about how he was pulled over due to the noise of his car. 

“I got flashing lights behind me and he came to the window, and he’s like ‘Who do you think you are, Lewis Hamilton?’ and he looked down like ‘Oh, jeez.’ It was really cool.”

To add to this, episode eight of the 10th season of Top Gear saw a young Hamilton discuss his road cars with a shocked Jeremy Clarkson when he revealed he drove a diesel.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

“If we’re on the road, [my dad] truly believes he’s a better driver than me, and that if he’d had the opportunity, he would be in Formula 1,” he laughed.

“You know what, I drive a GL420. It’s a diesel,” he said as the presenter questioned his choice. “It’s a pimp wagon, you know?

“You can fit 24-inch rims on it and just lean back and drive, man. That’s all you need on the road.”

This changed to an electric Mercedes EQC in 2020: “I don’t drive any of the cars that I own any more. I only drive my EQC.”

In 2022, he doubled down on his lack of interest in driving during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

“No, I don’t like driving,” he said. “People often ask me, but I don’t like driving at all if I’m not going fast.”

He added: “I don’t like traffic. It’s very stressful for me. I’m a good passenger. I actually only drive when I go to visit my parents. I prefer to give the keys to my friends.”

Hamilton’s collection, including the likes of a Pagani Zonda 760 LH and a Ferrari LaFerrari, as well as numerous other exotic machines, has now been sold off, with his focus now turning to art instead. With his well-documented distaste for driving on the road, it almost seems inevitable. 

Photos from Azerbaijan GP – Practice and Qualifying