Motoring

Watch: Ferrari F80 dubbed ‘fastest road car’ they’ve ever been in by Hamilton, Leclerc

Current Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had a go in Ferrari’s latest ultimate hypercar around the Fiorano circuit.

Both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton share the sentiment that the Ferrari F80 is the quickest road car they have ever been in.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari journey is off to a flying start — quite literally. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who recently joined the Scuderia, has already had his hands on the steering wheel of the company’s most powerful road car to date: the Ferrari F80.

Not long after his first day at Maranello — where he posed beside the iconic F40, Enzo Ferrari’s final signed-off creation — Hamilton made headlines again by expressing a desire to one day bring a modern homage to life, rumoured to be called the ‘F44’. But while that project brews in the background, Hamilton is clearly wasting no time enjoying what’s already on offer.

Invited by Ferrari to drive the F80 around the Fiorano test circuit, Hamilton joined current teammate Charles Leclerc for a high-speed session in the hybrid hypercar. And the verdict? As expected, glowing.

“Fastest road car I’ve ever been in,” the Brit enthused — quite the statement from someone who’s piloted the Mercedes-AMG One, a car built with Formula 1 tech and a Nürburgring lap record under its belt.

Clearly impressed, Hamilton even hinted at adding the F80 to his personal garage: “Okay, I’ve got to order me some of these one day.” With only 799 examples planned and reportedly already spoken for, one would imagine Ferrari might still make a plan for its newest star signing.

“This is another level,” he added, calling it “the fastest road car Ferrari has done.”

Leclerc, meanwhile, is no stranger to the F80. The Monégasque driver was part of the hypercar’s launch campaign, having previously driven it at Fiorano shortly after its official reveal.

Before his departure from the team, Carlos Sainz Jr. also sampled a camouflaged prototype and gave it his stamp of approval. Now racing for Williams, the Spaniard was one of the first to get a taste of the electrified machine.

As for Hamilton, despite owning a Pagani Zonda (which he once described as ‘terrible to drive’ but praised for its soundtrack), the V6-powered F80 appears to have left a far greater impression — both in performance and refinement.

Whether or not the F44 concept sees the light of day, the F80 is already proving a fitting welcome gift for Hamilton in red.

Watch the video here:

 

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Jana Boshoff

Jana works as a senior support specialist for Caxton digital. Before that she was a journalist at the Middelburg Observer 15 years where she won numerous awards including Sanlam's Up and Coming Journalist, Caxton Multimedia Journalist of the Year, and several investigative awards. She is passionate about people and the stories untold.

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