“You Can Steal People’s Presents”: Lewis Hamilton Reveals His Unique $50 Christmas Idea That Was Born After Detesting Secret Santa

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he does not like the concept of Secret Santa because people tend to complain about their gifts not being glamorous or big enough for their liking. Hence, the seven-time world champion devised his own $50 Christmas gifting policy that allows people to steal other’s gifts.

In a video posted on Mercedes’ official X handle, Hamilton revealed, “It shouldn’t matter what you’re buying them. It’s the thought that counts. But I’ve had experiences that people were upset that it was not glamourous enough or big enough.” That’s exactly why Hamilton came up with his own spin to Secret Santa.

“So, I do this whole thing now where we just do Secret Santa and we have like $50 to spend and we have half an hour to rush around the store and find five gifts. Once when you run out, there’s a double or nothing round. Where if you roll a double, you can steal people’s presents,” added Hamilton.

Hamilton has a large family and a lot of friends close to him to make his Secret Santa really fulfilling. As it turns out, he has his extended family in the United Kingdom, too.

However, he feels he lets them down as he cannot get them all together for a GP, owing to limited passes. Hence, he makes up for it during Christmas. Naturally, this also solves the puzzle of why Hamilton never appears on any of F1’s Secret Santa videos.

Lewis Hamilton and his disdain for F1’s Secret Santa

One question has always been buzzing around in the minds of F1 fans. Lewis Hamilton has not featured in any of the end-of-season Secret Santa videos released by Formula 1. He was not there in the latest 2023 iteration.

He was also missing from the 2022 and 2021 editions. As a result, many fans have accused and criticized Hamilton for not partaking in these festive rituals.

Comments under the videos have shown their ire towards the Briton for supposedly feeling he’s above the rest as he snubs the events. One fan even wrote, “*opens his secret Santa gift and a silver medal appears* – Lewis: I don’t like this game”.

While Hamilton may not participate in F1’s Secret Santa, he has showcased his generosity in his own ways. For example, when Sebastian Vettel retired, Hamilton threw a farewell dinner for the four-time champion with every driver on the grid making an appearance. Moreover, he also bought former Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas’ poster.