To paraphrase an age-old adage, no sick hoon can go unpunished. Not even if you’re seven-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, who’s facing some backlash after posting that viral clip of himself redlining Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R all around Tokyo with the caption: “I only like to drive on track, but I make exceptions.”
According to CarBuzz (via Road & Track), the legendary JDM car – valued at approximately US$250,000 (AU$370,000) – is owned by the Japanese company Omoshiro Rent-A-Car. And would you believe they’re considerably less amused by the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 superstar’s drifting skillz compared to the rest of us? To the point a statement has since been issued through Twitter [translated from Japanese]:
“This is a car from Omoshiro Rent-A-Car, but it was not taken with permission from our company. Such driving is strictly prohibited.”
Omoshiro Rent-A-Car Representative
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“Something’s not right with this car, man.”
Sir Lewis Hamilton as smoke comes out of the rented Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R’s gearbox
While said company later confirmed Hamilton lawfully rented the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend for the listed price of ¥34,500 ($372) per night, an Omoshiro Rent-A-Car representative added: “Under the guidance of our attorneys, [Omoshiro] is unable to disclose any further information.”
At this stage, it’s unclear whether this has or will eventually become an active legal matter. But it is rather comforting to know that regardless of how may Formula 1 records you hold (countless)… regardless of how many grands prix you’ve won (103… regardless of how much money you’ve made (£40 million per year; ~$300 million net worth)… before the eyes of a stickler rental agreement, we’re all mere mortals.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the elite motorsport veteran has run into a spot of trouble for his off-track driving antics.
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Way back in December 2007, when he was a young man of just 22 years signed to McLaren Racing, Hamilton was caught speeding at 196 km/h on northern France’s A26 motorway en route to Reims. The consequence? A one-month suspension from driving in the country and a €600 ($930).
“He was very polite and cooperative,” a police spokesman told Reuters, adding he’d even personally arranged for the car to be picked up.
Fast forward a few years, two days prior to the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was pulled over by Victorian Police after performing a burnout in a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG somewhere around St Kilda, incidentally also a loan car – this time from Mercedes-Benz Australia. The whip was impounded and he was subsequently fined $500.
Check out the original video of Sir Lewis Hamilton pushing a rented Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R to the absolute limits around Tokyo below (track ID: appropriately enough, ‘Pump The Brakes’ by Dom Dolla’).
