Hamilton’s world has
expanded far beyond
the narrow confines of
F1, as his tie-up with
Tommy Hilfiger shows36 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
e was inspired by Ayrton Senna, nurtured by Ron Dennis, and wooed by Niki Lauda to replace
Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton’s star has ascended with the help of some rather special people.
None, however, can have foreseen the degree towhich the journey from Stevenage to superstardom
would take Britain’s most successful grand prix driver of all time far beyond the fame afforded to your
typical Formula 1 world champion.
You need only have watchedthe now-famous
appearance of a seven-year-old Lewis on BBC’s
Blue Peter, or have been in the audience at
the 1996 Autosport Awards, to know that here
was someone different. Then followed his
apprenticeship at McLaren, and a meteoric rise
through the junior racing formulae.
Nothing, however, suggested he would
necessarily reachthe g lobal superstardom that
Lewis Hamilton has achieved today: multiple
world champion, global brand ambassador,
fashionista, musician and social media
influencer, who cares about the environment
and isn’t afraid to say so. Some find it hard to
reconcile a Formula 1 world champion becoming
passionate about the health of the planet, but
Hamilton has long since learned to ignore the
trolls and do things his own way.
“I know what it’s like to feel like an outsider,”
he wroteon Instagram earlier this year. “As a
kid I was always the last pick ofthe teams in the
playground. I was one of only three black kids in
my school. I know the sadnessthat comes with
feeling like youdon’t fit in or not being accepted
for who you are. And I know what it’s like to be
bullied for it too.”
Lewis has described learning how to defend
himself byembracing the discipline of karate,
and being taught how ‘to be fearless’. This school
of hard knocks and racism influenced Hamilton’s
life and led to his adoption of the phrase ‘Still I
Rise’ from the epic poem of the same name by
American poet, singer and civil rights activist
Maya Angelou. To read it is to understandthe man a little more. It is this combination
of a tough personal journey combinedwith
extraordinary achievement that attracts
audiences to Hamilton from far beyond Formula
1, and the appeal is not new either.
Back in 2007 a minor commotion developed
outside a restaurant in central London, with
securityclear ing a passage through a line of
paparazzi outside. Word soon went around that
it was Lewis Hamilton inthe company of rapper
Sean Combs. It transpired that the music mogul
known as ‘Diddy’ had managed to get hold of the
McLaren driver’s mobile number and had called
him directly. Hamilton wouldlater recount that
he was playing golf at the time and thought the
call was a wind-up. Combs, these days reputed to
be worth something shy of a billion dollars, just
wantedto havedinner.
In only his first season in Formula 1 Hamilton
had alreadybegun to ta ste the potential that
comes from reaching the pinnacle of the sport and
winning.BeyoncéKnowleshad providedticketsto
one of her concerts and Combs wouldintroduce
the young driver to rapper Pharrell Williams and
British star NatashaBedingfield. The flood gates
to the music industrysoon fell open.
Hamilton’s love of music, combined with
having almost instant access to the cream of
the industry in the UK and America, gave him
an outlet through which toenjoy down time.
It is a side of Lewis Hamiltonthat few in motor
racing know about, or understand. To the
parochial Formula 1 community it can seem like
a distraction, but asthe seasons have passed the“SomefindithardtoreconcileaFormula1worldchampion
becomingpassionateaboutthehealthoftheplanet,but
LewisHamiltonhaslongsincelearnedtoignorethetrollsanddothingshisownway”
Hamilton’s world has
expanded far beyond
the narrow confines of
F1, as his tie-up with
Tommy Hilfiger shows36 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
e was inspired by Ayrton Senna, nurtured by Ron Dennis, and wooed by Niki Lauda to replace
Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton’s star has ascended with the help of some rather special people.
None, however, can have foreseen the degree towhich the journey from Stevenage to superstardom
would take Britain’s most successful grand prix driver of all time far beyond the fame afforded to your
typical Formula 1 world champion.
You need only have watchedthe now-famous
appearance of a seven-year-old Lewis on BBC’s
Blue Peter, or have been in the audience at
the 1996 Autosport Awards, to know that here
was someone different. Then followed his
apprenticeship at McLaren, and a meteoric rise
through the junior racing formulae.
Nothing, however, suggested he would
necessarily reachthe g lobal superstardom that
Lewis Hamilton has achieved today: multiple
world champion, global brand ambassador,
fashionista, musician and social media
influencer, who cares about the environment
and isn’t afraid to say so. Some find it hard to
reconcile a Formula 1 world champion becoming
passionate about the health of the planet, but
Hamilton has long since learned to ignore the
trolls and do things his own way.
“I know what it’s like to feel like an outsider,”
he wroteon Instagram earlier this year. “As a
kid I was always the last pick ofthe teams in the
playground. I was one of only three black kids in
my school. I know the sadnessthat comes with
feeling like youdon’t fit in or not being accepted
for who you are. And I know what it’s like to be
bullied for it too.”
Lewis has described learning how to defend
himself byembracing the discipline of karate,
and being taught how ‘to be fearless’. This school
of hard knocks and racism influenced Hamilton’s
life and led to his adoption of the phrase ‘Still I
Rise’ from the epic poem of the same name by
American poet, singer and civil rights activist
Maya Angelou. To read it is to understandthe man a little more. It is this combination
of a tough personal journey combinedwith
extraordinary achievement that attracts
audiences to Hamilton from far beyond Formula
1, and the appeal is not new either.
Back in 2007 a minor commotion developed
outside a restaurant in central London, with
securityclear ing a passage through a line of
paparazzi outside. Word soon went around that
it was Lewis Hamilton inthe company of rapper
Sean Combs. It transpired that the music mogul
known as ‘Diddy’ had managed to get hold of the
McLaren driver’s mobile number and had called
him directly. Hamilton wouldlater recount that
he was playing golf at the time and thought the
call was a wind-up. Combs, these days reputed to
be worth something shy of a billion dollars, just
wantedto havedinner.
In only his first season in Formula 1 Hamilton
had alreadybegun to ta ste the potential that
comes from reaching the pinnacle of the sport and
winning.BeyoncéKnowleshad providedticketsto
one of her concerts and Combs wouldintroduce
the young driver to rapper Pharrell Williams and
British star NatashaBedingfield. The flood gates
to the music industrysoon fell open.
Hamilton’s love of music, combined with
having almost instant access to the cream of
the industry in the UK and America, gave him
an outlet through which toenjoy down time.
It is a side of Lewis Hamiltonthat few in motor
racing know about, or understand. To the
parochial Formula 1 community it can seem like
a distraction, but asthe seasons have passed the“SomefindithardtoreconcileaFormula1worldchampion
becomingpassionateaboutthehealthoftheplanet,but
LewisHamiltonhaslongsincelearnedtoignorethetrolls
anddothingshisownway”