Lewis Hamilton made a grand entry to the karting track in Powai. With thumping music in the background, Hamilton cruised to the track in a kart much to the delight of the delirious crowd
McLaren driver says Force India’s Sutil has potential but it needs to be extractedMUMBAI: Lewis Hamilton made a grand entry to the karting track in Powai. With thumping music in the background, Hamilton cruised to the track in a kart much to the delight of the delirious crowd which cheered almost every word that the McLaren Mercedes driver uttered.
The 23-year-old wowed the crowd with his easy-going personality and driving skills in a kart. “This is my first visit to India. It has been fantastic. The noise created by these couple of hundred fans is more than what I hear in the grandstand during a F1 race,” the Briton said.
Hamilton, who was on a one-day visit to Mumbai, answered a number of questions ranging from his career with to getting praised by Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton considered it to be an honour to have been compared with Ayrton Senna. “He was one of the most special persons… perhaps the finest driver of all times. I felt very proud after seeing my picture next to his,” he remarked.
Hamilton recalled the sacrifices his family had made in order to ensure he became a F1 driver. “My family has been a great support to me. My father undertook a lot of hardships to ensure I got the opportunity to race. Also, meeting Ron Dennis about a decade ago was one of the most important moments of my life,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of support staff. “My family, trainer and support staff ensure that I keep my focus on racing and don’t get distracted by other things. It’s all about making sacrifice.”
About Schumacher, he said, “Schumi praising me was really cool. I have been watching and supporting him during my formative years. Now talking to him like a friend is very special,” he said.
Hamilton considers Kimi Raikkonen as his main rival for this year’s championship. “There are number of good drivers. However, the defending champion obviously has to be the biggest rival,” he said.
The championship leader reiterated his commitment to McLaren. “This (McLaren) has been my dream team. I am living my dream right now. I don’t plan to leave McLaren ever in my career,” he said.
Hamilton rates Monaco as the best circuit in F1. “It’s a technical circuit with really fast stretches, bumps and the famous tunnel. Passing the tunnel is a thrilling experience,” he said. Hamilton feels Force India is a great team and hoped that it stayed in F1. “They could have scored major points at the Monaco Grand Prix,” he remarked.
Having raced with Adrian Sutil in GP2, Hamilton knows a thing or two about the Force India driver. “Adrian is a great guy. He’s got a lot of potential. It’s people around him who need to extract that potential,” he said. About the possibility of a Grand Prix in India, Hamilton said it would be great if India features on Grand Prix map. “I guess there are talks about holding a race in 2009,” he said. When asked about Narain Karthikeyan, Hamilton said that he did not know Narain that well. “I had watched him race in Formula One. He is doing a great job,” he said.
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