“He did not give me a hug when I was a kid” – Lewis Hamilton salutes his father’s sacrifice and mindset that helped him achieve F1 greatness

Janmeyjay Shukla | 29/04/2022
"He did not give me a hug when I was a kid" - Lewis Hamilton salutes his father's sacrifice and mindset that helped him achieve F1 greatness
Lewis Hamilton takes a trip down memory lane to discuss his ‘protective’ father’s support during financial struggles and bullying at school.
Everyone knows how difficult it is to get a seat in Formula One. Apart from the driver’s license and ability, finance is one of the biggest factors. Sometimes, it is really about how well you can perform on the track keeping the financial struggles aside.
Who better to learn this from than the Seven Times World Champion Lewis Hamilton. He came from a financially struggling family who put all their resource together to help the Briton reach F1.
While discussing the rise of Lewis Hamilton, it is essential to give credit to Anthony Hamilton. Despite their professional fallout after the 2010 season, Sr. Hamilton still remains an integral part of his sons’ life.

Working multiple jobs to fund his son’s success

Describing his condition as a kid, Hamilton said: “We came from nothing. I didn’t have anyone telling me to do this or do that. I had to learn myself.”
Talking about his dad in the interview, Hamilton emphasized on his dad was a protective figure in his life.  He expressed: “My dad is just a hard nut. Work your butt off and be very aggressive.”
Relating to the hardships, Hamilton stated: “We have had a lot of hardships and he did sacrifice a lot. He had 4 jobs at one stage to keep me racing. Being aggressive, he did not give me a hug when I was a kid.”

“Do your talking on the track” – Anthony Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton revealed that he had been bullied at school while growing up. He does, however, highlight how his father was his protector.
Hamilton recalls his bullying experience and stated:” I was bullied a lot at school. I went to school where there were not many people of color.”
Anthony Hamilton was the only other person of color present on the track where his son practiced. The Mercedes driver also shared a sweet saying which kept him motivated back in school shared below:
“Do your talking on the track. Let your results speak louder than anything you have to say. You don’t have to say anything to these people.”

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Anthony Hamilton Lewis Hamilton

About the author

Janmeyjay Shukla

Janmeyjay Shukla is an artist who contributes his expressions through words as an F1 writer and editor at The SportsRush. He is an F1 historian who has been watching the sport since he was a baby. Passed on from generation to generation, he has seen the prime of Michael Schumacher to the rise of Max Verstappen. A Mercedes fan from the days of the Brawn GP era, the sport runs in his blood. Besides Formula One, Janmeyjay is a Marketing Head and a musician who loves to sing and play Rock & Pop songs on guitar. His love for sports will never die as he is a loyal Liverpool Football Club fan as well!

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