Rookie Lewis Hamilton Hoped to Emulate Golf Legend Tiger Woods- Did the 7-Time F1 Champion Make it?

When Lewis Hamilton entered Formula One in 2007, expectations set were high for the British driver. No one in the motorsport world had seen a more dominant junior career than he had. Back then, he had won numerous junior titles that earned him his spot at the pinnacle of motorsport with McLaren.

Interestingly, Lewis was touted as the Tiger Woods of F1 during his debut seasons. Not to mention, it was highly unusual for a rookie driver to receive that much amount of attention at that time.

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Hamilton was the only driver of color on the grid when he entered the sport in 2007. While much might argue that his ethnicity drew comparisons between him and Tiger, it is only fair to add he also had the Skillset and talent calling for it.

Why was Lewis Hamilton compared to Tiger Woods at the start of his career?

Tiger Woods, in 2007, was arguably the biggest athlete in the world. The American golfer was dominating the sport and was the face of every big brand in the business. He was the highest paying athlete during the time and was consistently racking up big titles in golf.

Hence, it was unusual to compare him to an unproven rookie with a lot of talent. Hamilton, too, couldn’t really grasp the comparison between him and Woods, but calmly accepted the attention.

“I’m not Tiger Woods, I’m Lewis Hamilton. But I think he’s a sensational athlete, and it’s an honor to be compared to someone like that. I hope I can do the same in Formula One,” said Lewis.

Damon Hill, the former F1 world champion, too, hyped up the Stevenage-born native. He even mentioned that the then McLaren driver could be the next Michael Schumacher in F1.

“He’s not only good — he’s exceptionally good. He’s had I don’t know how many years of racing behind him. And he’s a winner in everything he’s done,” said Hill.

Hamilton missed out on the world championship in his debut season by 1 point to Kimi Raikkonen. However, he managed to win his first title the next year by just 1 point. But he left the team in 2012 after failed championship challenges in 2008.

Did the British driver match the golfing legend’s stature?

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 and went on to dominate the sport from the beginning of the Turbo-Hybrid era in 2014. From 2014 to 2021, Lewis won six driver’s championships in eight seasons. He broke many records during the time, such as becoming the first driver to achieve 100 race wins and pole positions.

He elevated the sport to new heights and helped make it a global phenomenon. The 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi between him and Verstappen was one of the most anticipated sporting events of all time.

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Notably, he also managed to do the impossible by matching Michael Schumacher’s record of 7 world championships. He is currently one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Just like Tiger in Golf, Lewis has transcended the sport to unprecedented heights.

Having etched his name in the history books of the sport, Lewis will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, drivers in F1. But will he ever match the stature of legends like Muhammed Ali, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, or for that matter, Tiger Woods? We’ll let you be the judge of that.