Lewis Hamilton’s rookie season in 2007 will go down as one of the greatest debut campaigns in the history of the sport. The Briton, in a McLaren, was on the cusp of winning the title but ended up losing the championship by just a single point to Kimi Raikkonen at the season finale at the Interlagos Circuit.
One crucial mistake at the Chinese GP made all the difference that season for Hamilton. Late into the race at the Shanghai International Circuit, the then-McLaren driver was called into the pits.
Hamilton, who was on worn-out tires, couldn’t control his car and beached it into the gravel trap just outside the pit entry. In a recent interview with W Magazine, Hamilton revealed how he coped with his blunder, which, if it had not happened, could have turned his season from an incredible one to an unbelievable one.
Sir Lewis Hamilton’s 15 minute, sit down interview with W Magazine.
He speaks on memories in China, including losing the championship there in 2007, the early days of his racing career, battling anxiety, his current projects, and more. pic.twitter.com/WJkqD9LmEe
— sim (@simsgazette) March 26, 2025
“I remember after the race I had here [Shanghai 2007], I didn’t leave my hotel room for two days. I think it was three days actually,” he revealed.
However, it did not take long for Hamilton’s childhood dream to come true as he won the first of his seven championships in the very next season. Although Hamilton could not manage to win the title in 2007, he did gain an unlikely fan.
Arch-rival Verstappen was once a Hamilton fan
Formula 1 fans know Hamilton and Verstappen today for their fierce rivalry during the 2021 season. But before they were bitter rivals on track, the Dutchman was in fact inspired by Hamilton.
In a resurfaced interview, a 10-year-old Verstappen revealed that he considered Hamilton a “big hero”. And the Briton’s mistake during the 2007 Chinese GP had left the Dutchman disheartened.
“He shouldn’t have put his car in the gravel trap in Shanghai,” Verstappen had said.
For Hamilton, the loss of the championship in 2007 was a bitter pill to swallow. But he dusted himself off and returned motivated as ever to right the wrongs in the next season.
At the 2008 season-ending Brazilian GP, Hamilton clinched his maiden title by a single point over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. Hamilton won five races that year, including the Chinese GP (the first of his six Grand Prix wins on the circuit).
