You may now know Lewis Hamilton as arguably the most successful driver in Formula 1, but there was a time when he was unsure of his worth. Before entering Formula 1 in 2007 at McLaren and taking the world by storm, the future star was dominating the circuits in GP2. In an interview that has resurfaced, he talked about expecting to land a seat in the lower teams.

Lewis Hamilton in his very first year in F1 joined McLaren alongside the defending champion Fernando Alonso. Not only did he give his teammate a run for his money but also missed out on the championship title by a single point. What he could not achieve that year, he ended up doing the following year in 2008.

Lewis Hamilton expected to land himself in one of the lower teams

Ever since his entry into Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton raced in one of the fastest cars on the grid. McLaren clearly saw the talent in the young Briton which he probably did not. In an interview from 2006, when he was driving in GP2 (now rebranded as F2), he admitted it would be a dream to drive for McLaren in Formula 1. The very next season, that dream came true.

The then GP2 driver said, “I think anything’s possible as you know, there’s possibly a seat available at McLaren. That would be a dream to go into the second McLaren seat. My aim at the moment is to win the GP2 title, but then we’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t expect to jump straight into McLaren. I would’ve thought I would go into one of the lower teams but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

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In hindsight, watching the interview feels almost surreal. From winning the GP2 title that year to winning the drivers’ championship in Formula 1 seven times, the boy from Stevenage has come a long way.

Hamilton lauded McLaren’s support

During his boyhood years in karting, Hamilton’s talent was spotted by then McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis. Ever since then, McLaren sponsored Hamilton’s career.

One interviewer asked him what his plans were looking forward towards Formula 1. Hamilton replied, “At the moment, my plan is to focus on racing GP2. I’ve got a long season ahead of me. Just need to make sure to continue with the pace that we have. But McLaren have been giving me fantastic support over the years and I hope it continues.”

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In his autobiography, Hamilton revealed how stoked he was when his father received a phone call from Ron Dennis. During the call, Ron offered to take care of financials and everything Lewis needed. Being an expensive sport, young Lewis needed every bit of help that came his way and that call from Dennis helped him get to where he is today.