The Pagani Zonda Is “Terrible” To Drive, Says Lewis Hamilton
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes-engined Pagani Zonda 760 LH is the worst-handling car he owns.
Speaking about his modestly-sized collection of cars in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper, the Hockenheim Grand Prix winner didn’t exactly give the one-off car the best review. He said:
“The Zonda is terrible to drive! It’s the best-sounding car I own, but handling-wise it’s the worst.”
Well, that’s pretty definitive. Of the 15 cars he owns, and splits between garages in Monaco and Los Angeles, about half are ‘special.’ They include three Ferraris: a 599 SA Aperta, a red LaFerrari and a white LaFerrari Aperta.
The LaFerrari Aperta was recently seen being removed by a tow truck from outside a Malibu restaurant, with paparazzi perpetuating the idea that it had been towed for parking violations. That wasn’t the case, though. The truth is far stranger, as he explains:
“In LA, I’ve got a tow truck and a handyman. If I think I’ve had my excitement quota for the day I’ll ring him up and he’ll collect it from wherever I am.”
Yep, that’s right: to keep the mileage on his beloved cars down, Hamilton will drive to wherever he wants and then call a man to come and remove it via truck. We have so many conflicting emotions right now.
The all-time pole position record-holder also owns a few American cars, like a pair of original Shelby Cobra 427s. The dream, though, is to end up with a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. He told the Sunday Times:
“That’s the dream car, like the one in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. When I retire, that’s what I want to drive.”
Source: Driving.co.uk
Comments
Just goes to show he just can’t drive.
Says an expert!! lmao
He can drive better than you. He’s experience the best handling car on the planet. An F1 car. That is a skill. The amount of G force and power that car has is like no other car on the planet apart from other F1 cars. Why don’t you try driving an F1 car and see how hard it is to work with.
Only on Car Throttle would people say that a Formula 1 champion can’t drive.
Yep a 4 time f1 world champion who holds the record for most pole positions in the history of f1 , and the second most wins and podiums obviously can’t drive /s
So Zonda handles worse than 427 Cobra? I find that hard to believe.
He probably means the feel of the car through corners, turn in, steering feel as the tyres load up.
Theres no question that a Zonda is faster round a corner
Well this is a special edition Zonda, my guess is that it handles nothing like a normal Zonda. Plus fast thru corner ≠ great handiling
the 427 is more fun…
He may meen at low speeds
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Hang on, so he has a tow truck just to tow his cars to KEEP THEIR MILEAGE DOWN!?
Is he even a proper car guy?
no thats what car throttle think. if you read his quote thats not the reason….. he says “when i reach excitement quota” i read that as. “when i end up having a few drinks and cant drive anymore”
To be fair, the zonda is terrible to drive in the same way that a modern day F1 car is terrible to drive (that is to say, it isn’t). Not unenjoyable or slow through the corners or on the straights, but imprecise and large feeling - or at low speeds, anyway. Wide tires and a long wheelbase will make this the case.
We are talking about Hamilton here remember…
However much of a tit he may be as a person, you can’t deny that he is one of the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen. Therefore I think he is in one of the best positions to judge how good a car handles or not.
Some of these comments are coming from people who have never even driven a Zonda - or any similar supercar!
Dude f off
Stop moaning, Lewis
I mean if you spend over a million dollars on a limited edition car I guess you’d have every right to complain lol
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It’s pretty ironic that Lewis says that’s there’s too much driver assist in F1 cars and he’d like to see the sport go back to the older routes of pure driverability… which is what the Zonda happens to be. Make up your mind Lewis!!
The zonda isn’t exactly a F1 car though.
racing and driving on public roads cant be compared ffs
Actually wanting good handling and wanting to get rid of assists are complementary of eachother not contradictory, if you have less assists then you have to focus more on tuning a car for driver feel than outright cornering capability if you want the driver to be able to push as hard as they can in a racing situation, in a road car situation you want to focus on it even more obviously because it’s more for enjoyment than speed because it’s never actually going to be raced…
Could the reason he uses a tow truck also be something to do with alcohol consumption? The article did say the tow truck was spotted outside a restaurant. I find it hard to believe he’d go through all that hassle just to avoid increasing the mileage.
What do you think “excitement quota” is my friend
What if it is terrible cause it is similar to is job?
The F1?