“My Last Step of Independence as a Man”: Robotic Lewis Hamilton Was Forced to Break Free of His Father’s Chains to Become a 7X Champion

Lewis Hamilton has arguably achieved everything there is to in the sphere of Formula 1. To this day, he acknowledges his father’s sacrifices to get him into the sport. Then what is it that happened that made him cut working ties with him?

Lewis Hamilton did not have it easy when it came to motor racing. The sport requires an enormous amount of money to keep the dream afloat. This is why you do not see many drivers coming from working-class backgrounds. Hamilton is an exception to that and a lot of it is courtesy of his father and his sacrifices.

Lewis Hamilton revealed why he cut off working relations with his father

Lewis Hamilton started out in Formula 1 in 2007 with McLaren. He took the world of F1 by storm pretty much from the day he stepped foot into the sport by missing out on the championship by just a single point. While he was achieving milestones left, right, and center, a lot more were being controlled behind the scenes. Control that made him feel like a “Robot”.

In a 2017 interview with ESPN, Lewis revealed how McLaren and his father instructed him on everything ranging from what to wear to what to say. He did not even have control of all the earnings he made. “I won races, but there was this chained kind of feeling. Like when you’re old enough to move out, but you’re still living at home and feel stuck.”

Speaking on no longer working with his father and switching to Mercedes, Hamilton told, “It was like my last step of independence as a man.”

“Mercedes wanted to grow. I was upfront with them: ‘This is who I am. This is who you are buying.’ And they already knew. They embraced it.”

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Lewis’s relationship with Mercedes certainly is special. While he has achieved a lot with the team, it is beyond just winning races and titles at this point.

Lewis Hamilton opens up on his relationship with Mercedes

Earlier this year ahead of the Mexican GP, Lewis Hamilton cleared his intention of signing a long-term contract with his current team. That was despite the fact he had failed to win any race until then, a streak that continued until the end of the season. However, there is something special that clicked between him and the Silver Arrows.

In an interview with Formula 1, Hamilton said, “I want to be creative and continue to do all the other things I get to do. I get to be myself at this team–and the support from Mercedes has been incredible since day one. Together, it’s not just about winning, we can be part of the many people in the world that are trying to change the world for the better.”

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Do you think Lewis’ contract with the Brackley-based team will continue for a long time ahead? Or will his age deter them from offering him a multi-year deal?