Before Lewis Hamilton became a legend with Mercedes, he was an exceptionally talented McLaren junior, signed by the Woking-based team at just 13. It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Hamilton genuinely feared being dropped by McLaren and worried about his future in racing.
When he was 17 years old, he thought his career was over. That’s because when McLaren gave him an opportunity to show his skills after he impressed in karts and junior series, he crashed. Not once, but twice.
“Car crashed my first day, crashed the second day,” he said in an older interview with Gayle King. “I was getting really nervous because I was thinking jeez they’re gonna drop me.”
Happy birthday to seven-time F1 champion @LewisHamilton. Thank you for all the memories.
Have a great day, Sir Lewis. pic.twitter.com/8C8r95kkO7
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 7, 2024
The man who went on to become a seven-time World Champion further recalled the aftermath of a test when he was just sitting in front of the garage, thinking to himself if his career was done. “We were wondering you know, is this it?”
Hamilton went to sleep that night, questioning if he was good enough. However, he shook off the doubts in his mind the next morning, went for what he described as the longest run he’d ever completed, and won the very next race. Talk about making a comeback. “The next day I knew I could do it.”
Hamilton would go on to drive for McLaren in F1, and even won the 2007 Drivers’ Championship — which turned out to be their last to date.
Difficult times get the best out of Hamilton
Very few drivers in F1 history have faced as much adversity as Hamilton has. He was always different — be it him being the only black driver in the sport ever, or his constant push for bringing about positive changes. Still, most of the time, the Briton has prevailed.
The host pointed the same out. “You seem to have the opposite. That hard times actually help you grow,” she said.
Hamilton replied that it hasn’t always been easy. At times, it was difficult to believe that everything would fall into place but having the right support system helped him get through. “I always had great support in my family.”
Hamilton did not come from a very affluent family, and F1 being an expensive sport to get into made things tough for his family. They managed, but had to make some big sacrifices along the way. But Hamilton concluded with a grim admission that things have gotten costlier over the years, and that he is really worried about the future generation.
