Formula One is a challenging, dangerous sport, in which the drivers risk their lives every weekend. People only ever think about the drivers, and the challenges they face today, but people don’t often stop to think about the Journey these drivers have been through since childhood. Fans rarely consider the people’s lives that have been affected on these journey, especially those closest to them.  I recently had the opportunity to speak to Anthony Hamilton, father of 5 time world champion Lewis Hamilton, in order to gain a better perspective on this lesser publicised side of motorsport.

Father and a Manager

Not many fathers can claim to have a son who is world champion, even less can claim that they were the one of the few that helped start that journey. For Anthony however, Lewis’ achievements will always hold a special place in his heart, not only as a proud father, but also due to the fact that for many years Anthony was Lewis’ manager. I myself have always wondered how hard it must be to manage balancing emotions between being a father and being a manager. Anthony’s response to my query was an expected one;“It was difficult being both equally. I soon realised being the best individual I could be was more important than being better at being dad or manager.” The commitment Anthony shows to Lewis career is astonishing. He shows that he puts Lewis before him at every opportunity, and was willing to work on changing himself little by little in order to boost his son’s career. He could see Lewis’ potential, and ultimately decided it was better to adapt himself to his son needs, rather than force change upon lewis –“Lewis had a unique talent and I had to learn how to make Sure that he applied himself 100%.”.

Lewis, the Child Racer

Lewis Hamilton started karting at the age of 8, and by the age of 10 he was crowned the youngest-ever winner of the British Cadet Kart championship. Lewis loved being given the opportunity to race, “his whole persona and attitude became more focused on achieving the best results possible both in school and on the race track.” He started his career driving remote controlled cars at the age of 5, and became “super focused on winning every race”, a factor which has continued throughout his long and successful career. “He was never stressed, but always full of confidence in his own ability. He prepared well to achieve success.”; from day one lewis has been a motivated racer, and always directed his attention on his goal of becoming a Formula One driver. When speaking to Anthony there was nothing but praise and admiration for how his son has handled racing throughout his whole career – “Lewis did everything necessary to make sure that he was ready for every challenge and was one of the most focused young people I ever met.”

Unicycles, Camper Vans and Sing-alongs

When Lewis became the youngest-ever British winner of Cadet Kart Championship in 1995, Anthony knew his son was destined for greatness, however they celebrated as father and son, not as manager and client. “We both sang ‘we are the champions ‘ while driving home in our then motor home/camper van.” This relationship separated them above all competition, as their bond meant more than money, they were in racing together for the long-run, to support each other through every high and low, no matter the cost.

Lewis’ has always had a competitive nature, and this truly came to light within his highly publicised rivalry with Nico Rosberg. However they remain great friends, and Anthony has many memories of them playing together as children, his favourite of which is “When they would play together on their unicycles. After racing, all competitive thoughts would turn to just being friends off the track. They were best of friends off track and great competitors on track.”

However Anthony knew that Lewis’ and Nico’s relationship would be tested, and unlike Nico, Lewis had to work much harder to achieve his goals – “Nico was virtually guaranteed to succeed his father to F1, but there was no such guarantee for us so we worked hard to win every race and beat Nico at every opportunity.”, “Our lives and desires were different to Nico and his dad. As such we had to work harder.” Despite this, Lewis has ultimately continued his career in a much more positive, successful light and through every leap and bound, every step of the way, Anthony has been there; as a manager, a friend and most importantly of all, a devoted father.

Image taken from – https://www.motor1.com/news/60097/hamilton-opens-up-on-father-relationship-and-plays-his-music/

– 762 Words