Ferrari F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton arrives at Monaco Grand Prix on Ducati Panigale V4 S 100

Ferrari F1 star, Lewis Hamilton, chose a classy way to enter the Monaco paddock on Thursday, with the seven-time Formula One champion opting for a Ducati Panigale V4 S 100 as his ride of choice.

Announced last week, the bike is one of the models in Ducati’s Collezione 100, created to celebrate the brand’s 100th anniversary. Each of the 10 special models in the collection is limited to just 100 units, with the bike Hamilton rode on Thursday sitting right at the top of the range.

The Panigale V4 S 100’s design is inspired by the 750 Imola Desmo that won the 1972 Imola 200 with Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari behind the bars. The silver sparkle paint, numberboard placement, and branding on the fairing are all inspired by the race bike - it even features a visualisation of the 750's transparent fuel window on the tank.

Whether the entrance was a shrewd marketing move by Ducati or if the Ferrari racer has added the bike to his personal collection remains to be seen. Hamilton is an unashamed bike fan, having spent time on MV Agustas and Ducatis in years gone by. His most famous two-wheeled exploit, though, has to be the famous F1/MotoGP swap, which saw Hamilton driving his then Mercedes F1 car alongside Valentino Rossi, before the pair swapped rides, giving Hamilton a taste of Rossi’s Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike.

Alongside the Collezione 100 bikes, Ducati also unveiled two Desmosedici GP bikes that raced at Mugello in a special livery that combined all the Collezione 100 machines into a single design. The ten bikes can be viewed in the flesh in the UK soon, as they embark on a journey that will take them to the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this summer.

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