Ferrari has reportedly abandoned the F44 project, Lewis Hamilton's supercar tribute to the F40

When Lewis Hamilton arrives at the Scuderia Ferrari In early 2025, the image is powerful. The seven-time world champion poses in front of a Ferrari F40 at Maranello. The symbolism is powerful, almost too obvious. Soon, a rumor spread: Hamilton was not only dreaming of winning in red, he also wanted to leave a lasting mark on Ferrari's history. His idea already had a name, almost a personal manifesto: F44. At the time, the project was the stuff of dreams. By the end of 2025, however, it seemed to have been discreetly shelved.

The dream of a modern tribute to the F40

Right from the start of his first season with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton made no secret of his ambition. To design a road-going Ferrari, inspired by the F40, with a manual gearbox. A radical, emotional car, almost against the grain of modern, over-assisted hypercars. In the paddocks, there are whispers that Maranello is seriously considering the idea. Some imagine a Ferrari Icona, others a technical base derived from the SF90 or even the LaFerrari, without hybridization, with a noble engine and a more raw approach.

An F44 that never got beyond the design stage

According to several Italian sources who appeared in the autumn of 2025, the project was finally abandoned, or at least suspended. Journalist Giorgio Terruzzi talks on a podcast about a silent cancellation of the Ferrari F44, well before a prototype took shape. According to the same information, Lewis Hamilton had a very difficult time of it. The project was promised to him, then withdrawn, in an increasingly tense context surrounding his sporting performance. Ferrari, true to its culture of secrecy, has obviously not confirmed anything. But several well-informed voices converge on the same conclusion: the F44 is off the table, at least for the time being.

Ferrari heritage and red lines not to be crossed

Internally, the debate would have been sensitive. Some felt that using the F40 icon for a car associated with a driver's number was a slippery slope. The F40 celebrated 40 years of Ferrari, under the eye of Enzo Ferrari. The F44, on the other hand, would have celebrated above all a man, Lewis Hamilton. For a brand so attached to its heritage, there's a fine line between homage and dilution of history. All the more so as Icona projects are already highly codified, designed to stand the test of time independently of current sporting events. In this context, Ferrari would have preferred to temporize, or even step back.

The 2025 season that changes everything

The timing clearly didn't help Lewis Hamilton. His first season with Ferrari turned out to be much more difficult than expected. Early eliminations in qualifying, strategic errors and a total absence of podiums: a fact unseen in his career since his Formula 1 debut. Faced with a more consistent Charles Leclerc, Ferrari found itself under pressure. The priorities are clear: performance, sporting credibility, preparation for 2026 and the new regulations. Passion projects, seductive though they may be, take a back seat. In this climate, an emotional supercar driven by a driver in sporting difficulties becomes politically delicate.

All may not be lost

However, it would be premature to speak of a definitive abandonment. Ferrari recently proved that it knows how to play with its history without betraying it. The one-off SC40a direct homage to the 296 GTB-based F40, is a striking example. The concept digital F76 also showed that Maranello is not afraid to explore its past in innovative ways. Above all, rumors of a future Ferrari Icona SP4 remains, with a feature that immediately makes you dream: a manual gearbox. The F44 may not be dead. It may simply have arrived too soon.

Ferrari takes a long-term view. Lewis Hamilton is under contract for several seasons, and 2026 could reshuffle the sporting cards. A return to the forefront, a positive dynamic, and the discourse could change.