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via Reuters

via Reuters

How Lewis Hamilton rose to be the champion F1 racer is not just fascinating, but also inspiring for many. Braving limited means and social issues like racial discrimination, he showed the world that nothing is impossible if you persevere. We look back to his time on the karting track where he learned his most valuable lessons.

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Lewis was just a 6-year-old when he told his father Anthony Hamilton he aspired to be a Formula 1 driver. Anthony knew it was an expensive sport to indulge in, so he quit his regular job to get into multiple odd jobs to help fulfill his son’s dream.

Anthony Hamilton tells the valuable lesson Lewis learned on the karting track

Lewis Hamilton appeared for an interview with CBS after winning the 2015 F1 championship. After winning the accolade twice before in 2008 and 2014, the then 3-time world champion had gained quite a reputation worldwide. In a section of the interview, Anthony Hamilton joined his son to narrate a crucial part of the former Mclaren driver’s journey.

CBS correspondent Charlie Rose asked Lewis what North London’s Rye House Karting Track meant to him. “Rye House was my school,” Lewis replied. Rose asked Anthony how he taught Lewis the importance of applying brakes later on the Rye House track. He answered, “Right on the bend. He learned to brake later, harder, and keep the speed on the GoKart.”

“The best drivers would brake in here, and he [Anthony] would make me brake later than them,” said the Mercedes star. Hamilton revealed how the lesson helped him establish dominance on the track then and how he continues to reap benefits from it to this day.

Read More: Red Bull Keeps an Eye Out for “Top Pilot” Lewis Hamilton & Resurgent Mercedes Clan, but Double Down on “Best Driver” Max Verstappen

The 2007 Formula 1 season is among the most exciting F1 seasons ever. Hamilton, who was in his rookie season back then, took the world by storm finishing 2nd, losing out on the championship by a single point.

Lewis recalls his first race win in Canada

Lewis Hamilton arrived in F1 and was straight up put into partner with 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Neither of the two conceded to each other on the track and eventually ended up with the same number of points.

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Speaking on his first race win in Canada with Vanity Fair in August this year, Lewis told“I remember standing on the podium, just the happier that I’d ever been. And I remember looking down and seeing my dad smile and that was the day that I knew that we had made it.”

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Watch This Story: Rihanna’s Relationship With F1 Star Lewis Hamilton Over the Years

The boy from Stevenage, to this day, acknowledges his father’s contribution in making him who he is today. We are sure Hamilton fans will love to see him take the coveted 8th world championship sooner rather than later. Do you think 2023 could be that year?