$285 Million F1 Titan Lewis Hamilton Proudly Crowned Himself “The First Working Class F1 Champion”

Formula One is a tough sport to land a seat in. One’s abilities on a racing track are not enough. A potential F1 driver needs the right financial backing to keep them afloat. This is why most Formula One drivers either come from wealthy families or just have a big corporation backing them. This is what makes Lewis Hamilton stand out.

Lewis Hamilton is an exception to this “rule”. He comes from a humble background and never shies away from sharing his story. This is the reason why he is an inspiration to many up-and-coming young racers around the globe. Here is one such interview where Hamilton talked about his life before F1.

Lewis Hamilton talks about inspiring kids and diversity in F1

In an interview with Men’s Health in 2020, Lewis Hamilton shared his biggest achievement. He said, “I was the first working class F1 champion.”

Furthermore, he opened up on how he likes to be an inspiration. He also spoke about the issue of diversity in Formula One.

The 7-time world champion talked about being proud to have paved the way for others. “Anyone who sees me on the podium, even if it’s a child, can be inspired to follow their dreams,'” said the Mercedes driver. “If that happens, I’ll have done my job well”. 

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The Briton talked about how Formula One must face up to the problem of lack of diversity in the sport. Speaking about his role in bringing in more people from different communities, he said, “I want to do my part in helping the sport make progress, not only by inspiring others but also by collaborating to create more opportunities for people from different communities.”

Lewis’ humble beginnings

Lewis Hamilton, who has a net worth of $285 Million, is also the highest-earning Formula One driver currently. According to Forbes, Hamilton earned close to $62 million in 2021. These fortunes, however, did not come overnight.

He had to face a lot of barriers to be where he is today. Not just him, his whole family had to make major sacrifices to help him realize his racing dream. A lot of the credit goes to his father, who at one time had to work four jobs to keep his son’s dreams afloat.

Lewis always acknowledges his father, Anthony Hamilton’s sacrifices for his success. His father had to quit his job as an IT manager to switch to become a contractor. He had to take up jobs as a dishwasher and even had to put up signs for real estate agents. To top the problem of lack of money, Lewis had to face incidents of racist abuse at his racing club when he was a child.

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Formula One does have an under-representation of different cultures. Not just this, it is almost impossible to get in without having some serious money in your coffers. This is why Lewis will forever be a challenger of the norm, despite being the champion that he is.