For 19 years of Lewis Hamilton’s career, his father Anthony Hamilton acted as his manager, and mentor and did every fatherly duty to make it possible for his son to achieve his dream. To this day, Hamilton credits all his successes to his father and family.
But the relationship between the two Hamilton men was not always smooth. The duo had found themselves in a major fallout in the late 2000s after Anthony mishandled some of the aspects of being Lewis’ manager.
The mishandling led to a $20 Million loss to Lewis after which the young racer was virtually broke. As per Business F1, Anthony still expected understanding from his son but Lewis was filled with rage.
Lewis Hamilton had to borrow money to make ends meet
The million-dollar loss was a result of a land deal falling apart. Anthony was enticed by an offer that the then Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell had presented him. It involved investing Lewis Hamilton’s money in a land deal in Grenada.
But the deal turned out to be a disaster and cost Lewis a $20 Million loss. Furious by the outcome of his father’s actions, Hamilton decided to sack Anthony as his manager. The impact of the disastrous deal was so much that Hamilton had to borrow money to make ends meet.
“Lewis couldn’t understand that all his money was gone. He suddenly had to worry about where he was going to find money to buy fuel for his jet. He had just moved to Switzerland and had big outgoings. Despite being one of the highest-paid athletes, Lewis was broke and had to borrow money for his day-to-day expenses,” reported Business F1.
Anthony Hamilton speaks to @SkySportsNews about the Lewis vs Max Verstappen debate:
“You’d be a dangerous man betting against Lewis Hamilton.
“It’s a special talent that Lewis has. There are a few drivers who have it and they’re on their way – but they’re not quite there yet.” pic.twitter.com/7CFNcEQ9jI
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 13, 2019
Anthony Hamilton had expected to understand Lewis
Furthermore, the magazine also reported that the Grenada deal was based on pure greed. The report explained that Anthony believed he had an advantage in making the deal since it was his homeland. He believed that because his father Davidson Hamilton lived there, it would give him an edge over his competitors. But he was wrong.
After the deal officially blew up, he decided to tell his son in January 2010 to be prepared to face a loss of $20 Million. As per Business F1, this – $20 Million – was three-fourths of all the money Hamilton had earned in his career so far.
Following this, Lewis was filled with rage and while his father expected understanding from his son, Hamilton gave him the exact opposite.
