It’s almost impossible to forget the year 2007, which saw the debut of Lewis Hamilton. The rest is history. Do you remember his first team? McLaren, of course. He became the world champion for the first time in 2008 with the same team. And it looks like F1 presenter Will Buxton hasn’t moved on from that golden phase! Honestly, we can’t truly blame him—Hamilton’s uprising was nothing less than fiction after all!

Moreover, Will Buxton‘s connection with the 7x champ dates back to 2005/2006. The young boy from Stevenage was ruling the junior categories of motorsport then. However, since his move to Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton’s achievements have multiplied, putting him on the same pedestal as Michael Schumacher and beyond. Meanwhile, Buxton has closely witnessed the rise of the ‘King’. However, the F1 presenter is stuck in the era between 2007-2012.

Following the Belgian GP Qualifiers, Buxton met VCARB reserve driver Liam Lawson in the paddock. And while discussing matters, he made a silly error. Will Buxton said, “McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.” This has sent fans into a frenzy. They are loving Buxton’s unintentional throwback. Meanwhile, Lawson stood flabbergasted, too gentle to correct the veteran presenter. Buxton had to clarify himself in this endearing matter. He wrote: “Brain fart for Buxton and the off-cam realization between us both that Liam was 10 years old the last time that was correct.” 

Will Buxton mean to say that when Hamilton last drove for McLaren, the VCARB reserve was just 10 years old! It is an interesting observation. This also means that Liam Lawson grew up watching and idolizing Lewis Hamilton. On the contrary, Buxton has seen the World Champion grow as a motorsport maestro.

F1 present Will Buxton first met Lewis Hamilton almost 20 years ago

Buxton got to know Lewis Hamilton before his F1 debut in 2007. He had seen the young driver in Formula 3 and GP2 Series. Hamilton was competing against big names like Sebastian Vettel and Lucas di Grassi. Will Buxton witnessed the Stevenage-native harness his raw speed to dominate the tracks. He knew that the boy he was looking at would eventually become the greatest driver the world has ever seen. Buxton recalled Hamilton’s nature back then.

“He was incredibly humble,” reminisced Will Buxton. Hamilton had a kind and polite nature. He was surprisingly attentive and wanted to learn French. The Brit wanted to know how Buxton learned the beautiful language so easily. Back then, the Brit was driving for a French team called ASM Formula 3, which later transitioned to ART Grand Prix in 2006. When Hamilton debuted with McLaren in 2007, Will Buxton had complete faith in the rookie’s talents. Moreover, the world soon got to know who’d rule the sport from here on. Hamilton went on to write his tale in F1 and Will Buxton witnessed all of it.

Despite his silly mistake with Liam Lawson as an audience, Will Buxton’s unintentional throwback has brought flashbacks from Lewis Hamilton’s glorious days. Maybe, Hamilton from his McLaren era is deep-seated in his subconscious mind, who knows? Whatever it may be, this candid error has been greatly revered. And surely, he will keep a close watch on the 7x world champ’s Belgian GP performance.

What is your take on Will’s sweet, silly error? Share below!