Lewis Hamilton: My Story

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Hamilton’s move to Mercedes had paid off better and earlier than he ever expected. After a building year in 2013, the advent of F1’s hybrid engine regulations brought immediate success, and a car miles clear of the rest of the field. Hamilton won the championship in 2014 and 2015. Formula One World Championship, Rd9, British Grand Prix, Race Day, Silverstone, England, Sunday 6 July 2014. After the race in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton wasted no time in pointing out that he had lost the championship because of the skewed reliability record between the two, but in the garage Lowe - who had moved to Mercedes at the same time as Hamilton - sensed his defeat would prove to be bad news for the rest of the grid.

After Brazil, I was asked if there was anything different I would do for next season given my experiences this year. A lot of things, really. Now after one season in Formula One, I have the experience to know how to plan my year differently so I can be more structured and have more time for myself and for my family. Next year I will know the circuits, apart from the new ones – and they are street circuits so I love them anyway. It is not so much about doing things differently but doing them better. I want to be fitter, work harder and be a better driver all round. I know all of this is not something that can be achieved in one year, as it takes time to evolve – especially if you are striving to become the best in the world. My dream is still there and it is still in front of me. So in one way, maybe it is a good thing that I have not been crowned number one this year, because there is a long time to come in my life and I am sure I will have a lot more opportunities. The speed remains, now married to a new solidity and consistency. He has been unstoppable, even when he has not had the best equipment. In 2014, he did it the hard way, three times overhauling a points advantage built up by Rosberg while Hamilton suffered problems. In 2015, he won his third title at a canter, dominating from the start and clinching the championship with three races to go.

Hamilton’s one condition for joining Red Bull

Many of the pivotal figures in his journey - such as karting supremo Martin Hines and McLaren duo Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh - are well known. Nic is now fifteen and, if anything, we are even closer. I love spending time with him. We enjoy the same sort of things, the same sort of music. As he gets older, it’s good to be able to talk about girls with him! It won’t be long before we can go partying together – and I am dying for the time when he is old enough so we can go out to a club or just do our own thing. That is going to be so cool. Aged 10, Hamilton became the youngest ever winner of the British cadet kart championship. That year, in 1995, he attended the Autosport Awards, the motorsport industry’s end-of-season shindig. He walked up to Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren, introduced himself and said: “One day, I want to be racing your cars.” And if you are a little bit lonely and are not getting much attention that is the perfect thing to do, just mention my name." I asked him after how he knew it was going to work, and he said, 'I don't know, it just happens'. That's something you can't teach." Hamilton drove for the late Martin Hines's Zip Young Guns Karting Team

Where they are special, Lewis and Fernando, is how much speed they can run into the apex and still have a decent exit speed,” he says. “It is very easy to say; it is very difficult to do. Peerless in the car, he is a vital component in the all-conquering Mercedes team, leading by example with tireless drive and determination, inspiring the personnel to constantly strive to improve their performance, making major contributions to the way the car and the teamwork. He is a loyal team player, thanking everyone regularly. :"I couldn't have done any of this without an incredible team behind me." (During his disastrous 2020 season Sebastian Vettel much appreciated a compassionate Hamilton calling him frequently to cheer him up and motivate him.) At the time, it seemed that perhaps no incident better summed up Hamilton’s anguished state of mind than what happened in Monaco, where he finished sixth after being hit with two penalties for incidents during the race. It has not been easy going. He has been central in F1’s decision to promote a pro-diversity agenda this year, but the messaging has left something to be desired.His ability to question himself and to develop is really amazing,” Wolff says. “It is not something you see very often in champions. Hamilton is 36 in January. His contract with Mercedes runs out at the end of this year, but while he said after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the beginning of this month that there was “no guarantee” he will stay in F1, on the same day he also said that he wanted to “continue to make history together” with Mercedes. The driving force behind what Wolff calls this “relentless push for perfection” is Hamilton’s intense hatred of losing. His former team-mate De la Rosa saw it up close. But the 37-year-old said the prospect of an unrivalled eighth championship is pushing him to carry on in the sport. Lewis had that and he was bloody young. Would he be any different today? Probably not. And that was it, just bloody minded.”

Every winter we went to Finland for a week’s training camp,” De la Rosa recalls of their time together at McLaren. “He was so competitive, man. It’s unbelievable.The tale unfolded with Horner’s assertion that Hamilton, or at least his entourage (namely his father), had shown interest in donning the Red Bull overalls. Yet, Hamilton’s response during the press engagements ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was unequivocal: no such approach had been made. He clarified that the only interaction with Horner was a congratulatory message, devoid of any career manoeuvring subtext.