SUMMARY
- Ferrari recently made a record signing with Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.
- Will Smith becomes the first celebrity to congratulate Hamilton on the big move to Italy.
The 2024 “silly” season started with Lewis Hamilton making a dramatic switch to Ferrari after spending 11 years with Mercedes and bringing the team 8 constructors’ championship titles. While it was considered an incredible move from the driver, many reacted to the news differently including Hamilton’s friend and Oscar-winning actor, Will Smith.
The Briton became a part of a huge shift after he signed a multi-year contract with the Monza team and became the highest-paid driver in the history of F1. With his new $100 million contract which will see him driving for Ferrari from 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc and have a generous investment in his Mission 44 by the Ferrari Chairman, John Elkann.
However, while Will Smith was being summoned to this year’s Oscars after the misogynistic jokes made on Barbie as fans recalled the actor getting into an altercation last year, he had plans to show up for Hamilton. And soon the driver became a part of a meme.
Will Smith recreates the ‘Bad Boys’ scene with Hamilton
Will Smith and Hamilton have had a friendship that goes back to Hamilton just starting his career with the Silver Arrows team. However, as he prepares to start his new journey with the Prancing Horse team, Smith took the opportunity to congratulate the seven-time champion in a very unique way on Instagram.
The actor has acted in several movies including “Bad Boys” directed by Michael Bay which included a car chase scene. It involves a car chase on the highway while Will Smith’s character, Detective Mike, and Martin Lawrence’s character, Marcus Burnett, are seen driving a Ferrari 550 Maranello. However, the video posted by the actor was quite different.
View this post on Instagram
The reel showcased the scene with Hamilton’s face photoshopped over his own in the car chase scene as he drives the Ferrari aggressively to catch the criminals. The scene also consists of gun firing and car crashes which made the video funnier and was appreciated by the champion too.
Lewis Hamilton posted the video to his Instagram stories and also went on to comment under the post saying, “😂from now on, that’s how you drive!!!!” The video became famous among fans for the driver and his friends taking the dramatic discussion of the Briton’s move to the Prancing Horse team with humor while also being excited about the new beginning.
Will Smith kidnaps Lewis Hamilton before Abu Dhabi GP 2019
While the Oscar-winning actor took to his Instagram to show support for Hamilton’s switch to Maranello, the two have shared some funny moments during the Briton’s dominance in the sport. The actor had visited the Mercedes garage for the Abu Dhabi GP in 2019 when the Briton was preparing to clinch his 6th championship title and last race win of the season.
However, videos of Will Smith acting out a skit with Hamilton as he was seen “kidnapping” the driver and tying him up to a chair. The actor persuaded the champion to let him drive for the race and win since “he has won enough and should save some for others”. The story progressed with Smith getting caught and being escorted out of the garage.
The whole skit was done as a joke and became a part of entertainment with the drivers just having fun before their races and enjoying their time with their friends. The 2019 season ended with Hamilton winning the Abu Dhabi GP and becoming a six-time champion.