Lewis Hamilton Recalls Disheartening “Landmines” and Public Scrutiny That Plagued His Early F1 Career

Before Drive to Survive and Liberty Media were widely credited as the saviors of Formula 1, it was Lewis Hamilton leading a lonely charge to modernize Bernie Ecclestone’s monotonous regime. Whether it was bringing the fashion runway to the track or being the voice for diversity in the sport, the Briton has overcome many difficult challenges.

His perseverance has made him the highest-paid racer in the history of the sport, earning over $285 million through contracts and brand deals. Keeping aside wealth, he’s also established himself as one of the greatest to ever race in the sport, only matched by the legend, Michael Schumacher in titles. However, the journey wasn’t this easy for young Hamilton. He feels he could have done more to be prepared for the cut-throat world of Formula 1.

‘Mistakes helped me’ – A wiser Lewis Hamilton reflects on older days

In a video shared by X user LH44updates, Lewis Hamilton answers questions related to his plans for the future. He also reflects on some of the toughest moments in his career. When asked what he wished he could tell his younger self, the 38-year-old shared, “I honestly, I don’t wish that I could tell my younger self anything. There were definitely some landmines that I stepped on as a kid in terms of not having structure and support around me when I go to F1.”

The Mercedes driver took a trip down memory lane to his childhood. Unlike many racers today, it was filled with uncertainty about whether the Hamiltons would have enough money to fund the next race. And when he made it to F1, his debut title with Mclaren was plagued by fans criticizing how easy it was for Hamilton, while Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen had to struggle for a few years. “God knows the amounts of mistakes that you make when you’re in the public eye. So I didn’t have infrastructure back then,” he added.

“So if I was to change anything I would have just given myself support for my young mind and young shoulders, to be able to grow and not just constantly being pushed back by these mistakes that I was making. But ultimately, those mistakes helped me being who I am today,” he said. The Member of the Order of the British Empire was not always regarded with such stature, but the mistakes he made along the way have helped him become the man he is today.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton Places His Father on Same Pedestal as Ayrton Senna in an Emotional Confession

When Hamilton’s father named him after the dominant sprinter, Carl Lewis, he had no idea just how successful Lewis Hamilton would go on to be in the sport. But it’s safe to say that Anthony Hamilton is one happy man after the No.44 driver has overcome adversity to be one of the greatest athletes of all time, much like his namesake.

Will Lewis Hamilton lose another record to Max Verstappen

However, there’s one man who has bothered Lewis Hamilton more than any foe in his rookie days. Max Verstappen’s dominance just keeps on raging, as he’s set his eyes on another one of Hamilton’s records from 2016. Whilst Verstappen sailed away with the title and has set a record with 17 wins in a season, which may become 19.

But there’s one record close to Hamilton’s heart that Verstappen could match or surpass in the last two races. Although Lewis Hamilton lost out to Nico Rosberg in the 2016 title fight, he managed to achieve a whopping twelve pole positions in one season. With Verstappen’s pole at the Sao Paulo GP, he inches closer to Hamilton’s pole record and could match it in Las Vegas or Abu Dhabi.

Not only could Verstappen match Hamilton, but he stands to leave the Briton in the dust and join Mclaren legends Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna with 13 pole positions in a season. Unfortunately for the Dutch Lion, there still lies 1992 World Champion, Nigel Mansell and the Williams FW14B, which aptly lived up to its name and scored 14 poles in that year.

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Whether Max Verstappen can catch up to another one of Hamilton’s records will always be a question on everybody’s mind. But the truth is, this sport will probably never witness a driver like Lewis Hamilton again. With the increasing costs even at the grassroots level of motorsport, Lewis Hamilton will probably remain one of a kind for many years to come.