“Racing Comes Second”: Lewis Hamilton Sidelines F1 to Reveal Main Source of Inspiration

With 103 race wins, seven world championships, and a career spanning more than 16 years, no one can deny the passion for Formula 1 that burns within Lewis Hamilton. However, now the 38-year-old Brit has matured and sees there’s more to life than racing. This is exactly what he admitted in a recent interview ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Brit during Mercedes’s IWC promotional event took time out to speak about his life. In that conversation, when asked about his Mission 44 and the Hamilton Commission, and made an interesting revelation.

Lewis Hamilton puts F1 aside to speak about the most important thing in his life

The interviewer for Access Hollywood touched on a topic that is very near and dear to Hamilton. So, grasping at the opportunity to speak about his passion, Hamilton showcased his commitment to the cause of increasing diversity in the sport.

“Honestly that’s the thing that really keeps me going,” confessed Hamilton. When the interviewer asked, “More than the races, more than the wins?” Hamilton reiterated and said, “Racing’s always been my passion but it’s been a lonely road since I was a kid you know. My dad was the only person of color that was along with me and there were so many experiences that weren’t comfortable.”

After giving examples of all the good work the Hamilton Commission and Misson 44 are doing, he added, “Honestly you get emotional and you’re like there’s so much talent out there and all they need is to spark that interest and they can fly. For me, that’s the most important thing that I’ve got to do, the racing comes second.”

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Well, there you have it folks, now you know what the most important facet of Hamilton’s life is. In fact, he shared his work and idea behind Mission 44 on Instagram as well and reiterated the idea behind the concept.

Lewis Hamilton highlights his work for Mission 44 to spread the word

Sometimes spreading the word about a task is as important as doing the task, and this is what Hamilton is also doing. He has not only started a charity to promote STEM learning and gotten investors and sponsors on board, but he is also spreading the word using his massive platform so more people know about it and can benefit from it.

This is exactly what he did with his Instagram post along with sharing it with the Mission 44 handle.

The Mercedes driver said, “Growing up, I experienced many barriers in education young people are still facing today. It is this experience that led me to launch Mission 44, which today is working to create a more inclusive education system for young people so they can thrive. Through our work, we hope to inspire the next generation of black engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and inventors to enter the field. But to do this, we need more Black STEM educators and role models in the classroom.”

He further added, “I have always believed that it is hard to be what you can’t see. So I hope this partnership really helps to provide young people with greater role models in the classroom that will motivate them to explore career paths they might not have considered otherwise.”

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The Brit is making a positive change and propelling everyone around him to the top with his efforts. We will surely see an impact in the near future.