As his best friend faces an uphill task at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lewis Hamilton has promised to drop everything and support him. Professional USA fencer Miles Chamley-Watson, born in the UK like Hamilton, will represent America for the third time in his life on the biggest stage. Failing to secure a medal at Tokyo 2020, the foil fencer will look to recreate, if not improve his bronze from Rio 2016. Hamilton, who has invited Miles numerous times to watch his F1 races, will reciprocate the gesture in Paris at the end of July.

Hamilton and Chamley-Watson are two peas in a pod. Being mixed-race kids, neither one fit in with the kids around them. From this arose Chamley-Watson’s mantra of “being yourself and sticking out”, which resonates with Hamilton’s stance. However, it wasn’t sport that led to their first meeting, but the MET Gala. Earlier this week, the 7-time champion also dedicated a special Instagram story to his foil fencer friend’s Paris Fashion Week look. Now that Chamley-Watson aims to conquer fencing at the Olympics, he’ll hope the phrase ‘Third time’s a charm’ holds true. So will Hamilton.

“Lewis did say that he is going to the Paris Olympics,” F1 presenter Ted Kravitz revealed on the Sky F1 broadcast. “So I think if you’re going to the fencing in Paris, I think it’s probably one of the Salles d’Exposition in Paris Nord or Sud. I don’t know if he’s going to be in the grandstand, but he’s going to the Olympics to support his friend Miles Chamley-Watson. He’s excited about going to Paris to watch his mate Miles representing the US.”

The fencing games are scheduled between 27th and 4th July. Though Hamilton will be occupied with the Belgian GP from 26th-28th July, he frees up on the 29th of July, when the men’s foil individual competition kicks off. Talk about luck.

Chamley-Watson has also been Hamilton’s partner-in-crime innumerable times over the years. “We love taking trips together”, the American has said in the past. From soaking the sun in Australia to dressing up as Mario characters during the 2023 Japanese GP, they’ve done it all. Hamilton’s last Olympic link-up, however, was not with his ‘brother’ Chamley-Watson but with another star.

Charles Hamelin’s delightful tribute to Lewis Hamilton at the 2022 Olympics

Lewis Hamilton’s impact on the sporting world is all-encompassing. Canadian speed skater Charles Hamelin’s helmet tribute at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is a case in point for this. The 4-time Olympic gold medal winner donned a helmet inspired by the 7-time F1 champion’s 2020 Abu Dhabi GP helmet.

“I did a little tribute to one of my idols,” Hamelin wrote on Instagram, displaying the purple-god helmet. Surprisingly, Hamilton replied to this gesture on X, saying, “Love the helmet. congratulations on all your success in Beijing 🥇” . The Mercedes star even posted an Instagram story for the same, captioning it, “Love the fit”. Hamelin was floored by his idol’s response and thanked Hamilton, in turn. “Thank you 🙏 so much. I’m speechless 😶 You’re a king 👑“, he wrote.

If F1 was in the Olympics, it would be a whole different ball game for Lewis Hamilton. He’d get to experience what it feels like to represent his country rather than a constructor from another nation. Nonetheless, he is the most decorated F1 driver and his friends too are conquering the peaks of their respective careers. What more could one ask for?