Lewis Hamilton has sold his entire car collection, including a LaFerrari... but he's still interested in another Ferrari "it's a beautiful work of art".

Lewis Hamilton has never made a secret of his passion for mechanical beauty. Over the years, the seven-time F1 world champion built up a collection that would make any supercar enthusiast swoon: Mercedes SLS AMG, G 63 6×6, McLaren F1 (sold for $15.6 million), 1966 Shelby Cobra, 1967 Mustang GT500, LaFerrari, not to mention his eccentric purple Pagani Zonda... a one-off, but which the Briton himself described as "terrible to drive".

However, during the Baku Grand Prix, Hamilton said something that caught everyone by surprise: "I don't have any cars left. I've got rid of all my cars." From the AMG One to the Shelby Cobra, everything was gone. Even his private jet and a 2013 F1 W04 single-seater have left his garage.

Behind this surprising choice lies a change of vision. Like Sebastian Vettel before him, Hamilton now wants to be consistent with his views on climate change. The racing cars he once cherished have become incompatible with the image he wishes to embody. "I'm more interested in art these days," he confides. Paintings, sculptures, creations by young emerging black artists or African art... this is what now occupies his research.

But one exception: the Ferrari F40

However, Hamilton hasn't completely turned his back on cars. When asked what he could afford one day, his eyes lit up: "If I had to buy a car, it would be the Ferrari F40. Because it's a beautiful work of art."

A highly symbolic choice. The F40, the latest Ferrari approved by Enzo Ferrari before his death in 1988, remains a myth: 1,315 examples produced, a 478 hp twin-turbo V8, 324 km/h top speed... and a timeless aura. More than a supercar, it's a sculpture signed by Maranello and Pininfarina, and now sells for around 2 million euros.

In fact, the Briton had already crossed paths with the F40 earlier this year, at the his official presentation as a Ferrari driver. In front of Enzo's house in Maranello, he proudly posed next to the red supercar, a photo which today is as obvious as ever.

Art rather than cars

Lewis Hamilton, once a compulsive car collector, has reinvented himself. His garages are empty, but his appetite for aesthetics remains intact. It's just that he no longer expresses himself in cylinders, but in paintings and sculptures. Except perhaps for the F40, which he doesn't really see as a car... but as a "sculpture on wheels".