Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007 with McLaren and had one of the most impressive rookie seasons in the sport. With the Briton finishing second in the championship and clinching four victories in his very first season, the McLaren team had issued him a challenge for the next season. The Woking-based outfit told Hamilton that if he won the Drivers’ Championship in 2008 and also helped the team win the Constructors’ Championship the same season, then he could receive the $25,000,000 worth of McLaren F1 LM. While Hamilton won the title that season, he, unfortunately, failed to help the team win the Constructors’ Championship. As a result, the seven-time F1 champion failed to get his hands on his dream car.
Moreover, since McLaren had only produced five LMs to sell to the public, the company had already sold all of them before Hamilton could even get his hands on it. As a result, the company had just one available.
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McLaren F1 LM 🏴🏁 pic.twitter.com/exTz5HJXFJ— La douille (@ladouille21) August 12, 2023
The sixth one was The Prototype, XP1, which McLaren proudly displayed at their technology center. Hamilton fell in love with this car and asked McLaren boss Ron Dennis what he need to do to get his hands on the luxurious car. It was then that Dennis gave Hamilton the challenge.
However, with the Briton failing to meet the expectations of the challenge, he had to settle for the next best car. Hamilton got his hands on the McLaren F1 car a decade later when he bought it for over $15,000,000 at a Bonhams auction.
Lewis Hamilton settled for a McLaren F1 after he lost out on a bet
As revealed in a video by Car Throttle, Lewis Hamilton nearly won a $25,000,000 bet with the McLaren F1 team when he came agonizingly close to winning not only the Drivers’ Championship himself but also the Constructors’ Championship for the team in 2008. Unfortunately for him, Ferrari beat McLaren by 21 points for the Constructors’ title that season.
However, this was not the only time that Dennis had issued Hamilton such a challenge. Soon after Hamilton won his maiden title in 2008, Dennis also challenged him by stating that the British driver could get his hands on the McLaren F1 LM if he won three consecutive Drivers’ Championships.
However, unfortunately for the 38-year-old, he did not win any more titles with the team and eventually left them at the end of the 2012 season. Consequently, Hamilton never got his hands on the McLaren F1 LM, which is arguably one of the greatest ever cars built. According to a report issued by supercars.net, the LM is lighter and more powerful than the GTR race car.
The report states that the LM has a horsepower of 680, which is 68 higher than the GTR. Moreover, the website also adds that the McLaren F1 LM was the fastest and most powerful road cars produced at the time of its introduction. While Hamilton did not get his hands on the McLaren F1 LM, he did his best to get the car.
Hamilton was desperate to get the original McLaren F1 LM
According to a report issued by roadandtrack.com, Lewis Hamilton was not convinced at one point that he would get the original McLaren F1 LM. He feared that the company may offer him a replica.
As a result, he put a mark on the car to ensure that he would receive the same car. However, since he never managed to win the bet, he never got his hands on his dream car.
