Lewis Hamilton has a habit of going rapidly in Japan. The seven-time world champion has won five Grands Prix at the Suzuka International Circuit—just one shy of matching Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of wins at the track.
But the Ferrari driver’s affinity with speed and Japan isn’t just limited to the race track. In fact, the 40-year-old is famous for taking some exquisite Japanese cars on the road to create his own brand of ‘Tokyo Drift’ videos.
Recently, ESPN posted a throwback to Hamilton‘s previous ‘Tokyo Drift’ videos with the caption, “Patiently waiting for Lewis to drop this year’s Tokyo video.” It was back in 2022 when the British driver rented a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R to go on a spin around Tokyo.
Given Hamilton’s eagerness to have such an adventure, it won’t be a surprise if he tries to do so ahead of this weekend’s Japanese GP. The #44 driver has sparked excitement over social media by reposting this throwback by ESPN on his Instagram story.
View this post on Instagram
Many fans believe that this is a signal that the seven-time world champion will release yet another customary video. They swarmed to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions.
One fan even wrote, “Brb SCREAMING ab Lewis Hamilton x Tokyo Drift v3.” But looking back at the legal troubles he experienced last time, Hamilton would think twice before attempting such a stunt again.
Brb SCREAMING ab Lewis Hamilton x Tokyo Drift v3 pic.twitter.com/FO1eCHgIau
— leslie ✨ (@formula_les) March 31, 2025
in honour of a 3rd one coming soon… Here’s Lewis Hamilton drifting around Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/wzo1hiVcRS
— deni (@fiagirly) March 31, 2025
Fans also made references to the 40-year-old needing assistance with the law authorities this time around.
TEAMLH LAWYERS WAKE UP! pic.twitter.com/fnUIDSo7YM
— sim (@simsgazette) March 31, 2025
Hamilton had found himself in hot water with the Japanese authorities in 2022 for his high-speed driving in the Nissan.
How Hamilton nearly got arrested in Japan
While the fans are excited for Hamilton to get behind the wheel of a road car once again on the streets of Japan, the law enforcement of the country isn’t as welcoming of that idea. Back in 2022, the video Hamilton had released saw him driving ‘rashly’ and exceeding the speed limit.
Luckily for Hamilton, he managed to escape an arrest.
The then-Mercedes driver had, in fact, rented the car to make the video. This prompted the rental company to release a statement and denounce his actions. They said, “This is a car from Omoshiro rental, but this video was not taken with our permission. This manner of driving is strictly forbidden.”
Hamilton released a video last year, too. Having said that, while the fans did express their concerns over him getting arrested, the 40-year-old seemingly did not have any issues with the Japanese authorities at that time.
