Former F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says his father, younger brother & Tiger Woods are biggest inspirations. Excerpts from an interview:
Former F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says his father, younger brother & Tiger Woods are biggest inspirations. Excerpts from an interview:
So have you been named after the legendary sprinter Carl Lewis?
That’s not actually true. My dad’s middle name is Carl and it just so happens that my mom chose to call me Lewis. And so it’s just, Lewis Carl and then people started relating me to Carl Lewis. I think I met him when I was really young, I was ten years old so people started to add the two and that’s how it started.
Your dad sort of had a really strong influence while growing up, right?
Yeah absolutely. See, my parents were divorced so I spent the entire weekends with my dad. He was working during the weeks so I lived with my mum. We both indulged in same hobbies. Our hobbies were radio controlled cars not racing. Things that size (points to the toy car in the background) and I was doing pretty good so then he bought me a go-kart! He thought that I had a very good hand to eye co-ordination so he thought maybe driving a go kart would be good and so we just tried that. It started as a hobby at the start but it turned into something serious.
Who are your influences apart from your father?
My younger brother, he’s disabled, for me it has always been easy to do things and difficult for him to do those same things. We’d both play in a wheelchair and play basketball. He’s always smiling, he never gives up. So he was quite inspirational as a young kid and then you’ve got other people, Tiger Woods, you’ve got all the greatest sportsmen and women that have done great things.
While growing up, what has been your most valuable life lesson?
I think, never giving up. It was the most valuable one. I learnt it mostly when I started boxing and the boxing training was actually quite fierce so, you know lots of skipping, all the different punching bags and exercises that you do. I was like 10 years old or about 8 years old and my dad put me in a ring with this kid who was maybe 9 or 10 and he was tough.
You mean he beat you up?
Yeah but the idea was, my dad made me go back in the ring and I didn’t want to go back, he was like don’t give up. Go back in and if you put your mind to it you can overcome it. And so I went in, I overcame that fear and since then I’ve never ever had a fear. My brother for example, as I said, can’t do the things that I can do but he falls over and he gets back up and he keeps smiling and trying. And that kinda makes me think, Jesus!
Do you do something specific on regular days and race days?
Race days? No. Everything on race days is about being relaxed, calm and fresh, clear in the mind. Particularly when you’re racing your mind can’t be clogged up with issues or problems or other thoughts. You need to just be thinking of the one job that’s at hand.
Could you tell us about your experience in India?
Just a big thank you to everyone for the great warm welcome that I’ve had every time that I’ve come here and for the beautiful colours, beautiful culture that they have and for being so polite. I hope that I get to see more and more of you.
—Full interview will be telecast tonight at 7.30pm and at 9pm on November 3 on Bindass
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