Lewis Hamilton‘s rookie year in Formula 1 was nothing short of spectacular. The young Briton almost won the championship in his first year in 2007. Naturally, Hamilton attracted a lot of A-listers round the globe. And Beyonce once claimed that she was charmed by the personality of the then 22-year-old.
In the book titled ‘Lewis Hamilton: Triple World Champion – The Biography‘, author, Frank Worrall wrote, “By the time of the US Grand Prix, world famous celebrities were queuing up to meet the boy who had taken racing by storm. Yet even the stars of showbiz who had so easily fallen under his spell – including the singer Beyoncé, who was said to have been ‘very taken’ with Lewis when they were introduced – spoke of his charm and endearing normality.”
The 2007 US GP was the final stamp of authority Lewis Hamilton had to put on the sport. Starting from pole, Hamilton took off with his teammate, 2x champion, Fernando Alonso behind him. Mid-way through the race, they embraced in an iconic battle where they even went wheel-to-wheel, but Hamilton kept his nerve and snatched the 2nd race win of his F1 career.
Hamilton lost that year’s championship to Kimi Raikkonen by just one point. Hence, his rookie year is often termed as the greatest rookie season ever. Since then, he’s retained his charm and his skills on track resulting in his fanbase in the US growing exponentially over the years.
Lewis Hamilton is a wanted man in the United States of America
From Tom Cruise to the great Michael Jordan, everyone wants a piece of Lewis Hamilton. During the Miami GP weekend in 2022, the likes of David Beckham, Jordan and Tom Brady all got together to snap a few pictures with the Mercedes driver, too.
What’s more, even Shaquille O’Neal is a self-proclaimed Lewis Hamilton fan as he was seen and heard chanting the name of the Briton on a couple of occasions during his visits to the F1 paddock during the American leg of the calendar.
The achievements Lewis Hamilton has been able to make in the sport has made him a world-wide phenomenon. Naturally, he is a big ticket personality in the United States that has become a ripe market for Formula 1.
On the back of his popularity in the states, Hamilton has also bagged a few opportunities. The most recent one being his role as an executive producer in the Brad Pitt-starring Formula 1 movie.
