“I Gained 4000 Followers”: Lewis Hamilton’s Magnificent Gesture Gets Shoutout From 17 YO F1 Academy Driver

Formula 1 Academy was recently announced, to the extreme delight of fans, in November 2023. It was announced to help women drivers to progress to the higher levels of open-seaters, and help in the transition from karting to single-seaters. Each team enters 3 cars, with 5 teams participating in total, making up a 15-car grid.

One driver who has dedicated a lot of time to ensuring these young female drivers make the most of this opportunity is Lewis Hamilton. He has spent a lot of time with these drivers and provided them with aid, assistance, and resources to see them compete at the highest level. The seven-time world champion is extremely outspoken about women drivers in Formula 1. So, when the seventeen-year-old Chloe Grant talks about how much Hamilton has meant to her, the world watches with no surprise.

Lewis Hamilton’s Helpful Gestures

Speaking in The Fast and the Curious, the British driver driving for ART Grand Prix, expressed her admiration for Lewis Hamilton. “He’s doing everything he can for all the communities.” One incident that stood out to the young Briton was the huge social media shoutout Hamilton gave all the 15 drivers in the F1 Academy.

“The fact that he posted all 15 of us on his story was massive. I think I gained 4000 followers from that one story. It was ridiculous. It was the promotion that he even gave us as well. He didn’t just say hi and just walk away. He did extra that he didn’t have to do.”

However, the host, Christian, (much like others on the paddock) was quick to point out that not all the drivers showed as much support for the F1 academy, apart from Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. “Let’s be honest, not many of the F1 drivers went out of their way to show support for F1 academy. Mercedes did, and Lewis definitely did.”

Read more: Swedish Sensation Chloe Grant Says FIA “Robbed” Lewis Hamilton

Chloe’s lasting memory about Hamilton was the one time in Brackley when she visited Mercedes’ factory for a tour.

The Humble Seven-Time Champ

The one memory that Chloe Grant affectionately spoke of during the podcast was her visit to the Brackley factory in 2019. While she was just expecting a tour of the factory, she had run into the British legend himself. Speaking about the experience, here’s what Chloe mentioned. “I had a friend who is working there (Brackley), and she gave me a tour. Lewis was on his way to a meeting. He was half an hour late to the meeting, but he still stopped and spoke to me.”

However, what impressed Chloe the most about this encounter was how grounded Hamilton was during this encounter. “He speaks to you like he’s a normal person. He doesn’t treat you like he’s massively above you, which he very much is. But he doesn’t treat you that way. He treats you like an equal.”

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It doesn’t matter if you love or hate Lewis Hamilton. There’s one undeniable fact. He dedicates a lot to making the world a more inclusive and opportune place to live in.