Hamilton sells £13m car collection, shifts focus to art ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton revealed on Thursday that he has sold his multi-million-pound fleet of supercars, saying he is now 'more into art' as he prepares for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The seven-time world champion, who moved from Mercedes to Ferrari in January, confirmed he no longer owns the collection of limited-edition Ferraris, Mercedes and McLarens that once filled his garages.

Speaking to reporters in Baku, Hamilton said: 'I don't have any cars any more. I got rid of all my cars. I'm more into art nowadays.' When asked which car he would still consider owning, he replied: 'If I was going to get a car, it would be the F40. But that's a nice piece of art.' The Briton was photographed earlier this year standing next to a Ferrari F40 at Scuderia Ferrari's Fiorano test track after his move to the Italian team.

Hamilton's revelation marks the culmination of a gradual lifestyle shift that began years ago. The driver has long been associated with Ferrari, despite previously assembling a high-end collection. He is committed to a more environmentally conscious lifestyle and tries to drive electric as much as possible, having been vegan and outspoken on environmental issues. In 2019 he said he had started selling parts of his collection and switching to hybrid or electric models, having already offloaded his private jet. In 2020, while still at Mercedes, he said: 'I don't drive any of the cars that I own any more. I only drive my EQC.' His former lineup was estimated to be worth well over £13 million, including two limited-edition LaFerraris, an F1-inspired Mercedes-AMG hypercar and an ultra-rare McLaren F1 bought for more than £11 million in 2017. Last year AutoTrader valued Hamilton's former collection at more than double the totals of many rivals on the grid.

On track, Hamilton expressed optimism about his prospects in Baku. He said: 'I feel optimistic coming into the weekend. I feel like I've found a couple of things and now I need to work on extracting them. So I really hope that this weekend can be the start of that.' Ferrari are hoping for a fast start under next year's engine and chassis regulations, with Hamilton already providing detailed feedback to engineers at Maranello in an effort to improve performance. He will line up in Azerbaijan on Sunday looking to convert his off-track reset into on-track results as Ferrari chase a crucial victory under the new regime.