Ever since he was a little kid, Lewis Hamilton was a racing sensation who dreamed of making it big in the F1 one day. To achieve the same, he worked hard, and by the time Hamilton was 12, he amassed 98 trophies. In an unearthed video uploaded on X by user ‘Nat,’ Hamilton revealed he did it all to impress former McLaren CEO Ron Dennis and secure a sponsorship.
“Hopefully, I’d like to get sponsored by Ron Dennis. You know, if he’d let me drive one of these cars”, said Hamilton.
Back when he was 10, Hamilton first met with Dennis after winning the British Karting Championship, and, with the McLaren boss present during the prize-giving ceremony, he went to Dennis and introduced himself.
#NoTeLoPierdas | Ron Dennis rememora 2007 y la lucha entre Hamilton y Alonso: “Me río de lo equivocado que estaba Fernando”. #F1 https://t.co/DCJiPIpAA0
— Car and Driver – F1 (@CardriverF1) February 4, 2024
Hamilton followed up by saying he wanted to drive for McLaren one day and become world champion with them, much like his idol, Ayrton Senna. An intrigued Dennis sat the young kid down and gave him an autograph before telling him to give him a call in nine years.
When Hamilton turned 13, he became a part of the McLaren-Mercedes junior program and has been an integral part of the Mercedes setup since 2013. However, after 11 years of association with the team, it will all come to an end once the 2025 season begins.
Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari after a monumental career with Mercedes
During his tenure with Mercedes so far, Hamilton racked up one record after another on his way to becoming the most successful driver (103 GP wins) in the history of the sport.
Six of his seven world championships came while driving for the Silver Arrows, and he often finished on the podium in other seasons. The last two seasons marked a disappointing campaign for Hamilton, as he went winless in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career.
#F1 | Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was treated like a ‘Presidential’ decree. Only a small group of people – who could be counted in one hand – were aware of the move. Among them was Charles Leclerc, who reacted very positively to the news. pic.twitter.com/Fng7D4Ch2X
— deni (@fiagirly) February 5, 2024
Nonetheless, his CV was more than enough for Ferrari to offer him a staggering $400 million contract, which will see him become the highest-earning driver in F1 history. Meanwhile, replacing him will be a mammoth challenge for Mercedes despite there being a wide array of drivers for them to choose from.
