Lewis Hamilton Fans in Frenzy After Ferrari Star Drops a ‘Tokyo Drift’ Video Tease

FORMULA 1 ROLEX BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2022 , in the picture 55 years AMG Mercedes Lewis Hamilton GBR , Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team with the Mercedes AMG Project ONE

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

 

A post shared by ESPN F1 (@espnf1)

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.

Fans also made references to the 40-year-old needing assistance with the law authorities this time around.

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.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Japanese GP Lewis Hamilton

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these