Would you trust a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California to just any carpark attendant? Lewis Hamilton takes the wheel in a hilarious video to celebrate his first drive with Ferrari.
“It is his love, it is his passion…”
All eyes will be on the Ferrari Formula 1 (F1) team this weekend as seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton takes the wheel of a Prancing Horse for the very first time.
The 2025 season will be the first time Hamilton has driven anything other than a Mercedes-powered F1 car, having spent six years with Mercedes-McLaren (2007 to 2012) and a further 12 years racing for the Mercedes-AMG factory team.
In a digitally re-edited sequence from the 1986 comedy classic film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Hamilton has inserted himself as the garage attendant (replacing actor Richard Edson) who ‘borrows’ the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder driven by Ferris and his friends.
The sequence, supported by Paramount Pictures, who own the rights to the iconic John Hughes film, sees Lewis Hamilton take the classic Ferrari for a joyride in Chicago, accompanied by another famous face.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has been one of my favourite movies since I was a kid. This is to pay homage to the iconic film and to celebrate my first season with Ferrari. It definitely took a lot of cutting-edge tech, production and planning to get right,” said Hamilton on his social media post.
The edit required the team to source a version of the car used in the movie, which was not a real Ferrari but a custom-built replica. Hamilton notes: “Had to get the exact car too … it’s been a dream car since seeing the movie.”
The clip is a light hearted way for the champion driver to celebrate his move to the famous race team, and an amusing shout out to fans that may be nervous about what the British racer can bring to the Italian team.
“Trust me,” says the Ferris Bueller universe Hamilton, when jumping behind the wheel.
And when the lights go out on Sunday, that’s just what the fans will need to do.
Here's the original sequence from the film.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.