That Time When Lewis Hamilton Broke the Internet by Waltzing Into a Store and Buying a Retro Sega Genesis Console

Aside from being a seven-time F1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton also happens to be an avid fan of video games. Incidentally, back in 2022, the whole internet went crazy when the English driver was spotted buying a Sega Genesis console at a retro store.

During the race weekend of the Canadian GP, the Mercedes star took to his Instagram to share the video. In the two-year-old post, he could be seen playing Ayrton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II on Sega. He later talked about his love for retro games during a driver’s press conference, stating, “I just had this itch to play old games!”

Interestingly, the seven-time world champion isn’t only competitive on the track, but also in video games. In the post where he was playing the Senna game, he also talked about his best lap of 49 seconds. However, the English driver insisted on upping his skill, claiming he could get an even better lap record if he tried.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton)

The video blew up on the internet, as no one expected the seven-time world champion to be a video game fan. The Instagram video received over 1.1 million likes on the first day of its release and currently has 1.5 million likes. Fans were delighted to see their beloved F1 driver play one of the classic racing games.

Lewis Hamilton has a very niche love for gaming

Although a lot of F1 fans discovered Hamilton’s liking for video games, it wasn’t the only time when he showed his gamer side to the world. In 2023, the Englishman was spotted visiting video game stores during the Japanese GP to find a $60 Mario Kart title.

Interestingly, that wasn’t even Hamilton’s first rodeo, as he claimed he had looked everywhere for a Mario Kart title back during the 2022 Canadian GP. However, he had to settle with the Sega Genesis and the Senna game. Hamilton also owns other retro consoles like the Nintendo 64. on which plays the 1997-released FPS GoldenEye.

ICYMI: British race car driver Lewis Hamilton has come to Fortnite! ️

The Lewis Hamilton set will be available in the Item Shop on November 17. pic.twitter.com/RZ6uPAbT6g

— IGN (@IGN) November 19, 2023

Last year, Epic Games added the Mercedes F1 driver to the fan-favorite battle royale Fortnite. During a promotional event for the skin, Gaming journalist Jake Lucky interviewed Hamilton. There, the seven-time world champion revealed how he still travels to every race with a suitcase console as it is impossible for him to stay without gaming..

Aside from Hamilton, there are many more video game fanatics on the F1 grid like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. Moreover, other known athletes like Sergio Aguero and Neymar are also known for their love of video games.