Lewis Hamilton turned heads once again as he arrived at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Saturday of the Canadian Grand Prix on a Ducati Panigale V4 superbike.
The two-wheeled machine that the seven-time Formula 1 champion piloted through the streets of Montreal is a feat of engineering from the Italian brand.
A 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine sits within the chassis, producing approximately 215 horsepower. Delivering 120.9 Nm of thumping torque, it’s rather potent for a machine that weighs just 187 kg dry in S trim. 0 to 62 mph comes and goes in just 3.1 seconds.
The V4 boasts sophisticated electronics: Ducati Wheelie Control, Slide Control, Engine Brake Control, and a comprehensive Ducati Data Logger system, each keeping the rider on the road and in the know. I can’t speak to whether Hamilton keeps these turned on, of course…
This follows Hamilton’s arrival at the Monaco Grand Prix on an ultra-rare custom MV Agusta F4 LH44. Limited to just 44 units and built in collaboration with the Ferrari driver, it proves that his love of performance spans both four and two wheels.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Interestingly, while a red Ducati certainly mirrors his Scuderia racing car, the Italian brand has been owned by Audi since 2012. This firmly brings it under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, the parent company that is preparing to enter F1 as a works team in 2026 through the Audi brand.
Hamilton’s arrival came ahead of him finishing fourth on the timesheets of FP3 after a couple of disappointing practice sessions on the Friday. But today we saw only confidence from the driver. And while Leclerc wasn’t able to drive in FP2 due to his car being repaired after his crash earlier in the day, he finished with the second fastest time behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.
This makes a change from the Spanish Grand Prix weekend where Hamilton described his experience as “the worst race I’ve had, balance-wise.”
