Lewis Hamilton has had an extremely long career, competing in F1 for 16 years. Although he has stated that he can carry on for much longer, he revealed once that he will “lose his mind” if he keeps focusing on racing. The two statements seem contradictory as the 38-year-old is keen to achieve more success but at the same time cannot just focus on racing, something that he will need to put his heart and soul into if he is to win a record eighth championship.
However, there is one exceptional quality that Hamilton possesses that only a few other drivers have and that’s the ability to multitask. Hence, when asked in an interview with IWC Watches two years ago about how he manages his interests away from F1 and yet manages to be successful in the sport, Hamilton’s answer was simple.
“In my world that I came into, they would say that to be a driver, you have to be this one thing. You can’t be anything else. They kind of put you in a box, you know. I think, if I would just focus on racing, racing, racing, I would lose my mind. So to be able to unwind, to be able to tap into something else,” explained Hamilton.
The 38-year-old does indeed have several other passions other than F1. Even in the many years that he dominated, he also attended fashion shows and demonstrated a keen interest in expanding his other projects such as Mission 44.
In this manner, Hamilton has proved that achieving success in their domain doesn’t mean that they forego their other interests. Another key reason why he believes he has been so successful is that he has had outlays such as music to express his emotions.
Lewis Hamilton explains how music is like a therapeutic outlet for him
In the same interview, Lewis Hamilton explained that one does not need to be the best at everything. However, he does believe it is important for people to learn new things to find “new pathways in your mind” and to release feelings.
He believes that something like music helps do exactly that. The Briton stated that while he is far from the best at playing his guitar, he does enjoy it as it helps him relax. However, some would argue that Hamilton perhaps enjoys music because he also wants to pursue it professionally, having lent his voice to Christina Aguilera’s hit song, Pipe.
After doing so under his pseudonym XNDA, Hamilton also excited his fans by stating that he would release some of his own songs. However, fans still await for the moment. Now, it just remains to be seen if the 38-year-old seriously considers joining the music industry after F1 or not.
The only thing that is important to note at this point is that music is not the only creative outlet that Hamilton enjoys. He also has his own business ventures as he owns a shop called +44. As a part of this business, he designs hoodies and t-shirts. Other than this business, he also owns Denver Broncos and Neat Burger.
