'Being Only Black Kid On Circuit, My Big Drive Was Acceptance': Hamilton On Racing Beginnings

Tuesday, 16 April 2024 at 15:15

Lewis Hamilton has achieved almost everything that a driver can achieve in Formula One, but his beginnings were difficult.

Growing up in a working class in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, after his parents split early in his childhood, Hamilton didn't seem to be destined to become one of the most accomplished athletes ever.

However, coming from a different background than most of his competitors in his early days and also later in his career motivated Hamilton. He thought that by doing well and proving to everyone that he could win, he would find acceptance, as he felt different from most of his young rivals.

"Being the only Black kid on the circuit, struggling at school, really always my big drive was acceptance – ‘If I win the race, I will receive that acceptance in this world."

Now, a few decades later, Hamilton doesn't need to prove anything, as he's proven it all, at least in F1. He won seven World Championships and 103 races, and he's arguably the greatest driver of all time, with a few seasons still left to improve his impressive resume.

Read also

Hamilton's Move To Ferrari Evaluated By Four-Time World Champion Prost

With the Brit now being closer to his retirement than to his early days in the sport, he's already looking to what he will do once he retires from Formula One.

The problem is, that there are just too many options for a person as ambitious as Hamilton. He's aware that to fully master something else, he needs to dedicate it a lot of time, and no person simply has that.

"I’m very ambitious. But I understand that you can’t do – actually, I take that back because I don’t believe in the word can’t. To be a master at something, there’s the 10,000 hours it takes. Obviously, I’ve done that in racing. There’s not enough time to master all of these different things."