Ferrari was still far from being the best team on the grid, despite showing signs of progress in Jeddah last weekend. Charles Leclerc salvaged the race with a P3 finish, but Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continued as he crossed the line in seventh. Thankfully, both can find some solace in the fact that their rides to the paddock ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, at least, stole the show collectively.
F1 drivers like to arrive at the paddock in style, and it’s a great opportunity for constructors and sponsors to showcase their products. As a result, Hamilton and Leclerc only arrive driving Ferrari cars to the circuit—not a bad way to travel.
At the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, not all decided to showcase their luxury road-cars that way. But the Ferrari duo didn’t miss out on the opportunity, as they both drove Ferrari 296GTBs to the track.
Veteran photojournalist Kym Illman labeled these two cars as the ‘stars of the show’ in a video posted on his YouTube channel, which has nearly 500,000 subscribers.
Leclerc‘s 296 GTB was easily recognizable thanks to its blue paint job—a distinct contrast to Hamilton’s car, which features a darker shade of red. This is a way for Ferrari to market its cars differently and show variations, because in Suzuka two weeks ago—where they both arrived in the same cars—the liveries were different.
Hamilton arrived in a yellow and black colored 296GTB whereas Leclerc’s model was all yellow.
Lewis Hamilton x Ferrari 296 GTB pic.twitter.com/mRlVVSuhZO
— La Gazzetta Ferrari (@GazzettaFerrari) April 4, 2025
Costing $347k, the 296 GTB has a 3.0L twin-turbo engine that produces over 800 horsepower. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph), making it one of the most appealing Ferrari models on the market.
That’s perhaps why Esteban Ocon is so careful with the car.
Esteban Ocon’s brand-new Ferrari 296 GTB #f1 #formula1 #sportsinfoxtreme #estebanocon #ferrari #ferrari296GTB pic.twitter.com/gFOoac1wyk
— SportsInfo Xtreme (@Sportsinfo22073) January 5, 2025
The Frenchman, who joined Haas in 2025, got his hands on the 296GTB, presumably because of the American outfit’s technical partnership with Ferrari. Upon receiving it, Ocon said, “It’s a dream coming true for me to get such a car. And yeah, it is very special. Privileged and lucky to have such a jewel that you can drive.”
He’s also very cautious about damaging it, admitting that he rarely takes it out for a spin out of fear of scratching it or chipping the paint. So mostly, it ends up just sitting in Ocon’s garage.
Hamilton and Leclerc, however, don’t have that option, as Ferrari will likely have them drive similar cars to other races on the calendar in the coming months—though probably not the ones they personally own.
