Lewis Hamilton does not shy away from citing how many hardships he faced in his early days to reach the helm of success. It may be these adversities that could have made Hamilton quite bold and fearless. No matter what happens, Lewis does not fail to overcome hardships in his life and career. The Mercedes man has explained how he does not feel intimidated by anyone, be it any big personalities of the world. Today he knows the best of personalities globally but no one can shake up the fierce Hamilton.

In a 2016 GQ feature, Hamilton stated about his fearless attitude. He said, “I don’t really think I’ve ever been intimidated by anyone. I don’t know why that is, but it doesn’t matter if it’s the Queen or Nelson Mandela.”

Apparently, Lewis has has interactions with both the Queen and Nelson Mandela. Hamilton is a recipient of the MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) as well as the Knighthood from the late Queen Elizabeth II. He received the MBE back in 2009 after his maiden championship win.

While Lewis got knighted as “Sir Lewis Hamilton” after his record-equaling 7th world title in 2020. Although, besides these honors, Lewis even attended a lunch with the Queen back in the day.

The Briton narrated the story of how the Queen spoke to him for almost the entirety of that lunch amidst a packed table. This certainly reflects how Hamilton never felt intimidated by the stature of the Queen.

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Meanwhile, Hamilton always had a connection with Nelson Mandela, considering how much he worked for equality in South Africa. He also met with the great man back in the day, getting some lifelong insights.

What did Lewis Hamilton learn from Nelson Mandela?

Back in 2008, Lewis Hamilton got the golden opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela. Hamilton has cited Mandela as a “grandfather”-like figure to him. And given his work for equality in a trying time in his country, Lewis certainly respects him greatly.

As per grandprix247.com, Lewis cited how Nelson Mandela inspired him to keep learning in life. He said, “Nelson Mandela told me he was still learning at 90. I’m always searching for perfection and trying to improve.” 

Lewis said this was a big motivation for him to keep his learning process going on, even after his F1 success. The Briton also pointed out a peculiar habit that he developed over the years. Hamilton writes down a list of things every year. He may write 10 things to achieve but may achieve only 2 or 3 of them in that year. Though that does not stop him from keeping this process going on.

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Of course, even at that 20 to 30% output, Hamilton would love to add meaningful learnings to his life every year. While he has a fearless attitude, this also reflects his humility. What do you think of Lewis Hamilton’s personality?