Here is a simple fraction of truth. In the world of Boxing, there’s the great Mohd. Ali. In cricket, there are the Laras and Sachins. In Soccer, there’s the great Pele and Maradona. And where it comes to Formula 1, there’s a certain Lewis Hamilton. Watching Lewis Hamilton tackle his opponents on a track, practically anywhere is an ennobling experience. He’s attacking, ferocious and quite simply epitomises the sentiment- Never say die!
Here’s a guy who manages to win races despite not always starting from the very front. A sign of great drivers- for they win from anywhere on the grid. When Hamilton won his maiden F1 world title, he wasn’t leading the race. Moreover, there are only a few records that Lewis Hamilton hasn’t broken in the highest annals of Grand Prix Racing. He, meanwhile, has already owned the record for most race wins. Another win, and who knows, it could come at the forthcoming weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the boy who once took to karts like fish take to water could become the only man thus far, in the seven decade journey of the sport, to collect a staggering 100 race wins.
At times, and it’s hardly a joke, to wrap one’s brains around all that Lewis Hamilton has done in the sport and achieved with sheer will takes a bit of time to fathom. For it’s hard to imagine just how much can a driver achieve whilst facing stern contest from nearly half of the grid weekend after weekend. A simple fact to illustrate just how dominant Hamilton has been in the sport is to recollect the fact that since 2016, a season aced by his former friend and then-teammate Nico Rosberg, Lewis hasn’t simply allowed anyone to take the world championship crowning him for four consecutive occasions and in the process, developing a belter of a team at Mercedes.
That being said, when Lewis Hamilton candidly shared, not too long ago, that he intends to become an actor post Formula 1, it wasn’t all too surprising to note the 36-year-olds choice. Why? Well, for starters, he’s darn popular. The likes of Vettel might be very famous and Raikkonen and Alonso, timeless heroes, but it is Lewis Hamilton who possesses an appeal that transcends colour and race.
If Formula 1 is a phenomenon-making sport, then he’s its phenomenon. Moreover, the fact that many a famous Hollywood star has already taken to a liking to the Stevenage-born driver who began his journey with McLaren also augurs well for the future intentions of a competitor who shines with unparalleled excellence in one of the most challenging forms of competitive sports out there.
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2018, where Hamilton crowned himself with yet another title, Will Smith was there not in attendance as a fan but alongside the man himself in the aftermath of the race, hanging out at the Mercedes garage. In more recent events, he’s been seen with friends like Winnie Harlow in the paddock. His proximity to the world of pop music is hardly a surprise or a recent phenomenon. For years, Lewis dated Nicole Scherzinger.
Moreover, in the not too recent past, he appeared in a pop music video and even sang a few verses in the famous Christina Aguilera number titled, ‘pipe!’ The song was received well by well-known critics.
So when Lewis Hamilton decides to drop the racing suit and put on the actor’s hat, it would actually be a pleasant development and quite frankly, the most obvious thing to do keeping in mind the Briton’s worldwide appeal and stardom that broke the glass ceiling for an F1 master quite a while back.
“I would like to act one day. I want to be the best, in everything I do, I want to be the best, to do the best I can,” is what the Mercedes top dog confessed to a publication in the aftermath of the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. He further added with quintessential earnestness, “So, if I’m going to do a film I’ll go to classes, I’ll study and make sure I express the emotions like I should.”
Probably, you could even try music Lewis, for truth be told, your guitar playing skills hardly suck.