Lewis Hamilton pays Ferrari F2004 visit after Lego confirms new Schumacher model
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari drivers past and present
Lewis Hamilton has posted an image of himself having a peek under the covers at Michael Schumacher’s iconic Ferrari F2004 during a visit to Maranello.
It comes after toy giant Lego confirmed that it will release a special 2004-spec Schumacher model in 2026.
Lewis Hamilton visits historic Michael Schumacher Ferrari F2004 at Maranello
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Hamilton is preparing for his second full season as a Ferrari driver in 2026 following a disappointing first year with the team in 2025.
The seven-time world champion failed to register a podium finish across a season for this first time in his career, ending the season 86 points adrift of teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton and Leclerc got their first taste of Ferrari’s 2026 car, the SF-26, last month as the team aims to return to winning ways.
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The 2026 season marks two decades since Schumacher’s final appearance for Ferrari, with the German retiring for the first time at the end of 2006.
He returned to F1 with Mercedes for three years between 2010 and 2012 before being replaced by Hamilton, who arrived from McLaren for 2013.
Schumacher, who turned 57 last month, has not been seen in public since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013.
Schumacher enjoyed the most productive years of his career with Ferrari, winning five of his seven world championships in successive years between 2000 and 2004.
The F2004 won 15 of a possible 18 races in 2004 with Schumacher collecting 13 victories en route to his last title triumph.
Ahead of next week’s second pre-season test in Bahrain, Hamilton posted a series of images to social media of a recent trip to Ferrari’s Maranello factory on Friday.
Among the photographs was a picture of Hamilton lifting the red cover on a historic Ferrari F1 car, believed to be the F2004 due to the presence of Vodafone branding and an Italian flag on the front-wing pillars (below).
Hamilton also posted a selfie of himself with teammate Leclerc, who is entering eighth full season as a Ferrari driver having joined the team at the beginning of 2019.
Lego, which entered a multi-year partnership with Formula 1 in 2024, announced last week that it is to produce a special model based on Schumacher and the Ferrari F2004.
The set includes a model of the 2004 Ferrari and a figurine of Schumacher, including a trophy and crash helmet.
A quote by Schumacher is emblazoned on a podium structure included in the set. It reads: “I’ve always believed that you should never, ever give up and you should always keep fighting even when there’s only a slightest chance.”
Schumacher’s son Mick, who made 43 grand prix starts across 2021/22, narrated an animated clip posted to social media to confirm the news.
Schumacher said: “My earliest memories of my dad racing were of him winning in a Ferrari.
“My dad and that car, they worked together, striving for 100 per cent perfection.”
“The V10 engine and the new rear suspension and the refined aerodynamics. It was a beast.
“But my dad, he could tame it. He became one with the car. It gave him confidence to push it to the line without going over it.
“And now I’m a driver myself, I understand just how rare it is to find a combination of instinct and engineering with the power to make a mark in history.”
Schumacher, who is preparing for his first season in the US-based IndyCar Series, memorably drove the F2004 in a demonstration run ahead of the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello in September 2020.
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