Unlike Hamilton, Charles Leclerc had a head start. The Monégasque racer was already linked with the F80 right after its official debut. Ferrari featured him in one of the early promotional videos, where he drove the hypercar around Fiorano. That was before Hamilton took over the seat from Carlos Sainz Jr., who left for Williams but not before having his turn in a pre-production prototype.

Leclerc's feedback mirrored the excitement that surrounded the car since it was first teased. Even during testing phases when the F80 wore heavy camouflage, Ferrari's top drivers were blown away by the electrified performance and the sharp handling. With both Leclerc and Hamilton now praising the F80, it seems the car is more than just a hypercar—it’s Ferrari’s new standard for road-legal speed.

Hamilton isn’t a stranger to rare and extreme machines. He once owned a Pagani Zonda, a car he loved for its sound but not for its performance. “Terrible to drive” was how he described it, despite being powered by a loud and glorious AMG V12. In contrast, the Ferrari F80 has a V6 plug-in hybrid setup, just half the cylinder count, but offers a completely different experience.

While the Zonda was all about drama, the F80 delivers raw, track-level speed fused with new generation electrification. Early footage from Imola may have left some fans unimpressed with the F80’s sound, but Hamilton’s hands-on reaction should turn that narrative around. According to him, Ferrari didn’t just build a fast car; they built the fastest road car in his entire career.