Lewis Hamilton made a spectacular arrival at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, driving his newly acquired Ferrari F40 into the paddock. But while the legendary supercar and its front plate carrying Hamilton’s famous 44 immediately caught attention, the most remarkable detail was hidden deep inside the car.

During the F40’s restoration at Ferrari in Maranello, technicians dismantled the engine and discovered something extraordinary: the number 44 was stamped into the engine block itself.

For Hamilton, whose racing career has become inseparable from the number 44, the discovery felt like fate.

The seven time world champion had spent months searching for the right Ferrari F40, specifically wanting a highly original, low mileage example with a special history. The car he eventually found had reportedly travelled just 69 kilometres from the Ferrari factory to its first owner’s home before spending more than three decades parked away.

Rather than preserving it as an untouched museum piece, Hamilton wanted the F40 returned to full mechanical health and, most importantly, driven. Ferrari specialists recommissioned the car in Maranello before it made its dramatic appearance at the brand’s home race.

Hamilton arrived at Monza wearing a suit and overcoat before stepping out of the iconic twinturbo V8 supercar with another 44 visible on its front plate.

But that number on the registration was intentional.

The 44 found inside the engine was not.

A coincidence? Perhaps. But for a driver who has carried the number 44 throughout one of the most successful careers in Formula 1 history, discovering it stamped into the heart of his dream Ferrari makes the story feel like something more than pure chance.