Lewis Hamilton may have had his first taste of karting at five, but he had to wait for his driving license until he turned 18, like the rest of us. Unsurprisingly, the future Formula 1 sensation passed the test on his first attempt. Since his father, Anthony, was overjoyed as a result, he decided to gift his son a Mini Coupe. To match his son’s passion for racing, Anthony even got the roof of the Mini colored like a chequered flag.
The year was 2002 when Lewis’s driving instructor arrived and quickly realized his pupil was a racer. In the biography, Lewis Hamilton: Triple World Champion, instructor Stephen recalls Lewis dressed in all white with Oakley designer sunglasses for his first lesson. The entire get-up made him realize that Lewis was no usual learner, but a racer.
The nervous times were yet to arrive for Stephen, though. While he recalls Lewis to be attentive and a quick learner, one thing you could not take away from him was his speed.
The 38-year-old followed the racing line even in a road car, certainly something that wasn’t needed. The Briton would attack the bends on the road at high speeds, throwing Stephen around in his own car.
The F1 star ever since attaining success has maintained that he came from a humble background. But receiving a Mini Coupe as a gift at 18 does not scream humility. Then how did Anthony get around to getting his son such an extravagant gift?
Anthony not only took up four jobs to support his son’s racing career during karting days, but he also managed to run a successful computer firm. The business began to reap rewards six years before Lewis made his F1 debut.
How did the fortunes turn for Lewis Hamilton and his family?
Anthony Hamilton‘s computer business wasn’t just enough to support his family but also make some extravagant purchases. One of those was a $1.3 million house which he bought for $830,000.
This was back in 2001 when Lewis Hamilton was still six years away from making his F1 debut. Another piece of information worth noting is that McLaren had already taken Lewis under their wing by then. They sponsored the 38-year-old’s racing career through their driver academy program after Ron Dennis spotted his talent at a young age.
This does not mean that the Hamiltons did not face any struggles to get Lewis where he is now. Motor racing is an expensive sport that only a few can dream of pursuing. The initial sacrifices they made have certainly paid back in the form of Lewis’ unprecedented success.
