As the Formula 1 summer break gets underway following Lando Norris’s Hungarian Grand Prix victory, attention has turned away from the track and towards the drivers’ private car collections. While Norris himself has spoken of spending his break playing paddle and reading, it is what sits in these drivers’ garages — far from the cameras and the stopwatch — that reveals far more about their personalities than any podium interview ever could.
For most of these athletes, a private car is not simply a status symbol. For some it is a sanctuary from 200mph racing. For others it is a museum built around their own success. And for a select few, it is simply the most expensive toy collection imaginable.
The Man Who Sold Everything: Lewis Hamilton
Few stories in the paddock are as surprising as Lewis Hamilton’s. For years, the seven-time champion owned one of the most envied garages in motorsport, including a rare Ferrari 599 SA Aperta, a LaFerrari Aperta, a 1966 Shelby Cobra and a one-off Pagani Zonda built to his own specification. At its peak, the collection was reportedly worth in excess of $13 million.
Then, in 2025, Hamilton revealed he had sold every single car. He has spoken publicly about wanting to reduce his environmental footprint and about a growing passion for art and design rather than horsepower. The one car he says he would still buy is the Ferrari F40 — the last model personally signed off by Enzo Ferrari — which he describes less as a machine and more as a sculpture.
That has not stopped Hamilton from continuing one of Formula 1’s most beloved unofficial traditions: a spontaneous night-time drive through Tokyo ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. What began in 2022 as an impromptu run in a Nissan GT-R has become an annual event for fans, and this year Hamilton arrived at the gathering behind the wheel of an F40, with television personality Kim Kardashian in the passenger seat.
The Hypercar King: Fernando Alonso
Where Hamilton’s approach has become restrained, his former rival Fernando Alonso’s collection is unapologetically loud. Its centrepiece is a Pagani Zonda Roadster in a rare “Diamante Verde” specification, reportedly costing in the region of £10 million and powered by a 7.3-litre Mercedes-AMG V12 producing more than 750 horsepower.
Alonso has also taken delivery of an Aston Martin Valkyrie road-going hypercar and a 727-horsepower Aston Martin DBX707 SUV, gifted to him at Christmas 2025. He has also been spotted driving a Mercedes-CLK GTR, one of the rarest homologation road cars ever built, around Monaco — a genuine motorsport unicorn worth an estimated $10 million.
The Purist: Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc’s garage tells a very different story — one of unwavering loyalty. Having been part of the Ferrari academy since 2016, his collection is built almost entirely around the Prancing Horse, including a personalised Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, an SF90 Stradale, and a one-of-one Ferrari 812 Competizione Aperta finished with his racing number.
Perhaps most tellingly, Leclerc was recently filmed arriving in Monaco in a classic 1960s Ferrari 275 GTB, worth upwards of £2.5 million, suggesting a growing appreciation for heritage over horsepower. Despite the collection, his reported daily driver remains a humble Fiat 500 — arguably the most Italian garage in Formula 1.
The Enthusiast’s Enthusiast: Lando Norris
If Leclerc’s garage has a single theme, Norris’s is defined by having none at all. The reigning world champion’s collection spans a custom McLaren 765LT Spider developed over 18 months with McLaren Special Operations, a Ferrari F40, a Lamborghini Miura, a Shelby Cobra 427, and — more recently — a Nissan Skyline GT-R finished in his helmet’s signature yellow.
At the other end of the spectrum sits a tiny Fiat Jolly beach buggy and a custom Land Rover Defender, proof that for Norris, the joy of driving matters more than badge or price tag.
The Understated Drivers
Not every driver on the grid is a collector. Max Verstappen is reportedly more passionate about sim racing than road cars, while George Russell keeps a comparatively modest Mercedes-based garage. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has spoken openly about not feeling the need to fill a garage with supercars — a refreshingly grounded attitude for a driver competing at the very top of the sport.
Old Money and Team Principals
Some of the grid’s most remarkable collections belong not to drivers but to their families. Lance Stroll’s father, Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, is one of the most significant classic Ferrari collectors in the world, with a collection reportedly worth several hundred million pounds.
Elsewhere in the paddock, McLaren team principal Zak Brown has built a collection of more than 50 race-winning cars worth in excess of $100 million, while Formula 1’s former ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone recently sold his own collection of 69 cars for an estimated £500 million — the largest transaction in the history of car collecting.
A Lesson for Everyday Enthusiasts
Perhaps the most striking takeaway is that the cars these drivers love most are not always the most expensive. Leclerc’s Fiat 500, Norris’s Skyline, and Alonso’s SUV all suggest that authenticity, not price, defines a genuine car enthusiast — a lesson any fan could take home from this year’s summer break.
Which driver’s garage would you rank first?
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Formula 1, F1 Drivers, Supercars, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Car, Collections
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