Rosberg’s lead was out to 33 points and there were four races left. All Hamilton could do now was win them all, and hope that some misfortune befell Rosberg in one of them. Instead, Hamilton went out ahead and refused repeated requests over the radio to let Alonso through. This put Alonso at a disadvantage in the fight for pole. Alonso worked out what was going on and made sure he came into the pits first before their final laps. Formula One World Championship, Rd16, Russian Grand Prix, Race, Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, Sunday 12 October 2014. No matter what sport we played, Lewis always had to win, and he was so good at everything. He’s just naturally talented for any sport. If we were climbing, he was the best from the team. Whatever we did, it was, ‘Man, Lewis again winning.’ It was a bit embarrassing. Anthony lived in a council house in Stevenage and worked in IT for the railways. He took on extra jobs to supplement his income to find the money to support Lewis’s racing - selling double glazing, washing dishes, putting up ‘for sale’ boards for estate agents and so on.

He was a bit surprised. He was so modest. He invited them to our table. We were having a coffee together and I am pretty sure for that married couple it was the best present for their honeymoon, you know? Why girlbands are more radical than you might think: Chart the surprising history of some of the most iconic British girlbands At the time, Hamilton talked of needing a change, a fresh challenge and his belief in Mercedes’ chances of success in the future, and he gives the same reasons now. All of that was true, but there was more to the decision, too.Allison adds: “I hope his future is with us and glorious for a little while longer because it works for us and I know he enjoys being part of this. Bringing Hamilton into the fold alongside Verstappen was never really on the table,” Marko continued. “Firstly, we are very happy with our current drivers, including Perez. Also, having two alpha drivers under one roof is a recipe for discord… Wallace wrote that Hamilton’s “activism has moved the world”, adding: “Lewis’s mental preparation, his aura, his ability to capitalise on every opportunity to use his platform to drive out racism are more than just a model for race-car drivers and other athletes - he’s an inspiration for everyone."

He said they would often look after Hamilton at circuits while Anthony worked at the circuit to try and make some extra money. It doesn’t make me think about my future but it is a reminder that I am in that part of my career that people I came up with and have raced for so long will start to stop,” Hamilton said. “Before you know it Fernando Alonso will not be here and then who is there after that? I guess I will be the oldest. At the time, McLaren had a faster car, and Mercedes had struggled in the three years since they took over the title-winning Brawn team at the end of 2009. Few expected Hamilton to make the jump. But jump he did.As the man who had ended Schumacher’s domination of F1 with Ferrari, Alonso had established himself as the sport’s leading driver. Although it wasn’t in his contract, the Spaniard felt his status demanded he be McLaren’s team leader and designated championship contender. Hamilton had other ideas. Over the past few years, Hamilton has become increasingly vocal on causes that matter to him. It started with environmentalism, then veganism, which grew out of his concerns for the health of the planet. Then, as the death of George Floyd at the hands of US police sparked a global outcry in the summer of 2020, Hamilton found the voice to speak out on the horrors and injustices of racism, systemic and otherwise. I do remember just sitting there in disbelief. And realising I’ve got to undo my belts, I’ve got to get out of there, I’ve got to climb out of this thing, I’ve got to find the strength. I had no strength. And it was one of the toughest moments, I would say, that I’ve had in a long, long time.” Signing has shown my commitment to the team," he said. "Let's be realistic. Every single driver that's racing here dreams of being in the winning car. He admitted his fierce inner drive, his dedication to promoting the many worthy causes he supports was exhausting, but also the source of the energy required to continue. Neverthless, there was a time limit. “At some stage,” he revealed, “I will want to have a family and that will be my full focus, but right now, being in Formula 1 with Mercedes is it.”

You lose a lot of grip when you are following - especially with these modern F1 cars - but this type of driver knows how to compensate by balancing with speed and brakes. Some drivers cannot get that close to the car in front,” De la Rosa says. "But Lewis and Fernando, always, when they’re behind they’re nearly touching the gearbox. His fame transcended his sport but the high-flying, tattooed hero with diamond ear studs never lost his driving ambition, his hunger to win. He worked hard at self-improvement, added a thinking dimension to his hard-charging instincts, made fewer mistakes and became an unstoppable force in 2015. Enhancing the image of the sport was Lewis Hamilton’s dignified response to a crushing defeat that left him disillusioned and unsure of his future. Wolff argued that any communication between Hamilton and Horner was not about a change of team, but was rather insignificant – and he has seen the proof.Given a grounded upbringing by his dedicated father in unremarkable Stevenage, Lewis tells about how he first tried out go-karting while on a cut-price family holiday in Ibiza. In his book he gives the real version of events at a motor sport dinner where, as a nine-year-old wearing a borrowed suit, he approached McLaren team boss Ron Dennis with the immortal words that were to change his life forever. According to many of those who have shared the journey with him, Hamilton is fair, generous, respectful, honest and honourable, but also ruthless, focused, self-obsessed and ultra-competitive; insular and intense but also warm and open. And then constant [jibes], the things that are thrown at you, like bananas, people that would use the [racial slur] just so relaxed. People calling you 'half-caste' and just really not knowing where you fit in," the 38-year-old said. "That for me was difficult, and then when you go into history class and everything you learn in history there are no people of colour in the history they were teaching us. So I was thinking, Where are the people who look like me?' 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. Hamilton was apparently keen to ensure parity of machinery if he were to become Max Verstappen’s teammate, Marko has now confirmed that Hamilton’s camp made an approach with a clear stipulation: equality in terms of the racing hardware provided to both him and reigning champion Verstappen.

It started to go wrong there,” Whitmarsh says. “Lewis should have on that occasion heeded the instructions of the team not to take excessive risk. Lewis once got a telling off from Ron Dennis because his school report wasn't good enough. He was miserable because he missed half a test day and we weren't immediately on the pace.Shortened and stressed by the global Coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 schedule - 17 races crammed into 23 weekends in 12 countries - resulted in one of the most intense and memorable seasons in the sport’s 70-year history. The non-stop action at existing and new venues featured exciting racing, displays of virtuoso driving, even a couple of first-time winners. A fiery accident from which driver Romain Grosjean miraculously escaped was a frightening reminder that danger is never far away. 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.