“We Couldn’t Afford to Paint It”: Lewis Hamilton Had to Sell $300 Gift From Father Amid Adversity

A career in Formula 1 or rather racing in general is quite expensive. Before you reach a level where you are being paid for by your sponsors, you have to pretty much bear all the financial burdens. That’s why it is often referred to as a sport for the rich. However, there have been some who have come from a rather humble and modest background and yet made their way to the top. One such driver is Lewis Hamilton.

Anthony Hamilton was reportedly an IT manager when Lewis was just a kid. But when his son started to show interest in racing, Anthony picked up multiple jobs, including that of a contractor- just to get his son’s racing career started. Lewis Hamilton has told numerous stories of how his parents sacrificed everything just to keep him racing. Whatever money they earned, they invested it back in Lewis’ racing career.

The kind of life he lived as a young boy has always kept Lewis Hamilton grounded in reality even when he achieved so much in the sport. However, Hamilton recently told a story from his childhood that he had never shared before. In a recent video on Mercedes‘ official YouTube page, Lewis was looking back at some of the gaming consoles and retro games he used to play back in the day.

That is when he told the story of how he got his father to exchange his Christmas present for a new racing helmet. “My first game console was the original Nintendo,“ said Lewis Hamilton. “I remember I got this PlayStation, my parents put all their money together, got this for Christmas, but I wanted a new helmet. So we took the PlayStation back and I got a new helmet. And then we couldn’t afford to paint it, so my dad painted it.“

Financial struggles were not the only type of struggle Lewis faced as a racer though. Being the only person of color in a sport dominated by whites, Lewis faced a lot of discrimination as a child and even when he finally became an F1 driver.

Lewis Hamilton holds the goal of creating equal opportunities very close to his heart

Having faced racial discrimination and financial struggles firsthand, Lewis Hamilton made it a life goal to fight for the rights of the underprivileged in our society. Whether it’s through movements like Black Lives Matter or his foundation, Mission 44, Lewis has always pushed for society to leave behind the notion of inequality, be it based on gender, race, or anything else.

He believes that every person deserves an equal chance, whether in sports or education or anything else they want to do. He has actively helped Mercedes achieve diversity in its staff through the years he has been with the team. And now that he is moving to Ferrari, he has made it a priority to help Ferrari become a diverse organization as well. “Of course, [if] you look at Ferrari, they have a lot of work to do [in terms of diversity], so I’ve already made that a priority in speaking with John [Elkann],” Hamilton was recently quoted by Motorsport.com when talking about his switch to the Scuderia next season.

How do you think Lewis Hamilton will bring diversity to Ferrari? What do you think needs to be changed?

READ MORE: What Jobs Did Lewis Hamilton’s Father Anthony Do to Support His Son’s F1 Career?