Sir Lewis Hamilton is always up to a new challenge, especially when it involves some adrenaline. That’s probably why he agreed to test drive the INEOS Grenadier with the brand’s founder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Not long ago, seven-time World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton admitted that he’s not a fan of driving in real life unless he’s going fast. "I'd rather hand my keys to my friends or something. I don't like traffic, it’s more stressful for me," he recently said during his chat with Jimmy Kimmell.
But since INEOS is one of the principal sponsors and one of the three shareholders of Mercedes-AMG Petronas, the British Formula 1 driver had the opportunity to take the Grenadier 4x4 for a spin for an on- and off-road experience outside INEOS Automotive headquarters. And he took it. He was not alone on his drive, because INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe took the passenger seat while Sir Lewis got behind the wheel.
“I’m genuinely enjoying driving this car,” Sir Lewis said while driving on a dirt road. “It’s very comfortable considering some of the huge dips we were driving down… I was pretty much flat-out around the course. I’m massively surprised at how much grip there is,” admitting that it feels “James Bond-like.”
Sir Jim said: “The Grenadier was designed to be good off-road, but we didn’t know it was going to be as good as it is on the road. I can definitely say I don’t think anyone has ever driven it like Lewis drove it.”
The INEOS Grenadier comes with two BMW-sourced 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six options, paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s available with a gasoline engine, putting out 281 horsepower (285 ps) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque and with a Diesel of 245 horsepower (249 ps) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm).
The British manufacturer kicked off development for the Grenadier 4x4 back in 2017 and production recently started out in France, at the former smart factory, with deliveries slated to begin this December. Will Lewis Hamilton also get one? He's not very used to off-roading, but we'll have to wait and see.
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