Lewis Hamilton Reflects on the Missed Golden Opportunities as He Weighs in on the Cost He Paid to Become an F1 Driver

With all the traveling and promotional events and shoots planned out, F1 drivers hardly ever get time for themselves. A day or two is all they get to enjoy the place they race in and then fly off to the next one. The lack of time for oneself and their loved ones often makes one wonder if it is all worth it. Having been in the business for more than 15 years now, Lewis Hamilton reflects on the opportunities gone by.

Growing up, Lewis was very close to his aunt Diane. When she died of cancer, he even got a tattoo in her memory. The reason was the influence she had on him. In an older interview, he revealed how she once inspired him to live his life to the fullest, to never waste his time, all that when she was lying on her deathbed. And given how big of a fan of adventurous activities he is, the learning really resonated with him.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, when asked whether he gets time to himself during the busy F1 schedule, he replied, “It has to be a real conscious effort to really try and plan way ahead because otherwise the team just book our things. So then, it often is a hop in and hop out to most of the places. So, I would say in these 15 years, there have been times I once went out to the golf course, for example, but I had like two days there.”

He added, “So, this time (the Australian GP) was the first time I had like four days where I really got to kind of drive around and, I rode around on bike, bicycles, stopped in cafes for coffee. I went to the local supermarket and just did some grocery shopping.”

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Lewis talked about how he loved the vibe the Aussies live with. He also found it to be the kind of place where he could spend his life in.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas aren’t that different after all

During his 5 years with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas shared a cordial relationship with Lewis. The dynamic was vastly different from what the 7x champion shared with Nico Rosberg. Ever since joining Alfa Romeo, Valtteri has emerged as a different person altogether. Dating an Australian cyclist Olympian now, Finn’s complete vibe has changed. He recently turned up to the paddocks in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops. This shocked Lewis, who had never seen his ex-teammate in this avatar. However, he was happy that Valtteri found his mojo.

Motorsportweek quoted Lewis as saying, “It’s great, I just saw Valtteri in flip-flops right now with his tan lines around his socks, his sock line! It’s great to see him flourish and feeling more and more a part of himself and knowing where he wants to go.”

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Maybe there is something in the water in Australia that makes you laid back. Whatever it is, it definitely struck a chord with the former Mercedes pair.