Lewis Hamilton is a sucker for adrenaline-raising activities. And surprisingly, his day job of driving a Formula 1 car over 200 miles an hour to its limits, just doesn’t cut it. From skydiving from 10,000+ feet to surfing tall waves, the 7-time F1 champion is in constant pursuit of thrills, as a teenager might be for validation. During his Austrian GP interview commitment, a fan activity took place behind the crow and Mercedes teammate George Russell’s inquisitiveness evoked his inner daredevil.

Hamilton and Russell’s off-track camaraderie has been off the charts recently, unlike their ever-tense on-track battles. During the Spanish GP, the 26-year-old even hilariously exposed his 39-year-old teammate for having “Spanish girlfriends” (plural). In F1’s fan-facing interviews in Austria today, Russell triggered another amusing conversation, as he couldn’t take his eyes off a fan bungee jumping in the distance.

“I’ve never done that before,” he said, before turning to Hamilton and asking, “Should we go?” The moment the 7-time champion had trained for all his life (except F1, of course) presented itself as he modestly replied, “I’ve done that before.”

Trying to mess with Hamilton, Russell probed, saying, “Should we do it now?” On another day, the 7-time champion might’ve agreed, but today wasn’t the day. “It’s not really that much hard,” he told Russell, before shifting focus on the set-up’s limitation in the mic, “It’s not high enough.”

Compared to his skydiving adventures, bungee jumping is indeed a child’s play for Hamilton. But maybe choosing an easier option sometimes wouldn’t be a buzzkill for him. At least, it would ensure more safety, unlike some of his other adventures.

Lewis Hamilton’s near-death experience while surfing with Kelly Slater

Somewhere between 2010-2014, Lewis Hamilton took a liking for paddleboarding and surfing. Fast forward to 2019, when he declared “surfing is the best feeling ever” and even met American surfing legend Kelly Slater for some tips and lessons. But during one of those outings with Slater, his overconfidence nearly got the better of him.

In Hamilton’s recent appearance on the ‘Hot Ones’, he recalled how a 20-foot wave nearly killed him. “It was 20-foot waves and Kelly was like, ‘There’s no way you’re coming out there’. As I started to try to paddle in, I got sucked into the kill zone. I turn around and see this set of four waves coming. ‘It’s over, it’s all over’, [I thought]. I could hear this wave crash above me.” 

The Briton also elaborated on how his board “got ripped off and snapped in half.” No sooner did the first wave subside, than the next one came, nearly drowning him. Bungee jumping, contrastingly, has no such downsides, unless the rope itself gives up. But it sure is impressive how good Hamilton is at so many adventure sports while being a full-time F1 racer. A generational daredevil, if you will.