Divided by F1 but United by a Childhood Gift – The Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton Crossover

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s rivalry now seems like it was from another lifetime ago. With Red Bull capitalizing on the new regulations and Mercedes not being quite able to, it’s very rare to see some track action between the two anymore. Nonetheless, the rivalry that they had through the 2021 season would definitely be one for the history books.

Despite their rivalry, however, the two world champions have a lot in common. Apart from their obvious love for driving and competition, both of the last two world champions shared the same love for childhood gifts.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s Favorite childhood gifts

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen recently talked about his favorite childhood gift in a video that was released on Christmas. He was talking about his favorites when the host asked what his favorite childhood gift was. Lo-and-behold, it was his childhood crash helmet.

Similarly, if you ask the seven-time world champion and current Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton what his favorite gift would be, he’d answer instantly – his red, blue, and green crash helmet that his parents bought for him. In fact, the story behind this helmet is extremely meaningful for the Mercedes driver. His parents, including his step mom saved up money and got him a PlayStation for Christmas. However, the seven-time world champion, even in his younger years, was interested in racing and wanted the crash helmet more.

He fondly recalls “I was like, ‘I want a new helmet’ so they said, ‘We can’t afford to get you the PlayStation and a crash helmet.’ So we took the PlayStation back and I got a new helmet.” Several years and seven world championships later, it is safe to say that the young Hamilton made the right call. However, one can only imagine the parallel universe where Hamilton is a gamer instead.

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Hamilton did not come from a racing background. His dad had to work three jobs to fund his carting dreams. Now, when they have everything, these memories are sure to bring a tear to both their eyes, despite a rocky relationship in between.

Anthony and Lewis Hamilton’s healing relationship

Anthony Hamilton is one of the main reasons why the seven-time world champion is who he is. Without Anthony, Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t have had a mechanic, a coach, a manager, or moral support during his earlier years. However, after the seven-time world champion got into Formula One, the relationship got rocky.

“The thing with my dad was he was my manager all the way. We got to Formula 1, and he worked so hard,” Hamilton explained. “But I think it was difficult for him to then show me love. Sometimes you just want a hug from your dad or, when you’re facing these things, you want to be able to be embraced. But I think when I was 22 or 23, it got really intense when I got to F1.” As a result, Lewis Hamilton decided that it was best for their relationship that his father not be his manager anymore.

Despite the quite-public fallout, the father and son have reconciled a lot, and share a beautiful relationship even today. “We both have worked so hard to come back together, and we have one of the greatest relationships [now]. He’s the first person I want to call when I finish a race. Because I know he knows what it’s like, he was there from day one” states the seven-time world champion.

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No wonder Lewis Hamilton is extremely grateful to his family. They had to sacrifice a lot to ensure that the seven-time world champion got his dreams accomplished.