He’s young, gifted, black and British. Lewis Hamilton has the world of
motorsport at his feet and is already being hailed as a new Tiger Woods, the
black golfer who shot to the top of a sport previously dominated by
middle-aged, slightly podgy white men.
Leading the world championship in his first season, Hamilton, who is just 22,
makes his US Grand Prix debut today in Indianapolis.
British fans are desperate to see their new superstar in action at home. He
will make his UK debut driving a Formula One car at the Goodwood Festival of
Speed next Sunday. Ticket sales soared when it was confirmed he would drive
a short display run for the crowd.
And next month’s British Grand Prix will now be a patriotic jamboree set to
eclipse the glory days of the greatest home-grown drivers ever to race at
Silverstone.
Afterwards, Hamilton is likely to drive his Mercedes back to the family home
in Hertfordshire, unload his laundry and relax playing golf or on the settee
with his beloved PlayStation3.
“I don’t know whether I was born to fame. I was born to race and born to win,”
he said last week. “The fame side of it isn’t something I particularly
enjoy, although some parts of it are cool.”
So who is he? And why has Britain suddenly gone wild over a racing driver? THE
grandson of an immigrant from Grenada who came to Britain in the 1950s and
worked on London Underground, Hamilton was born in Tewin, Hertfordshire.
Sandwiched between Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage, it’s the kind of sleepy
village that usually frowns on boy racers.
His parents, Carmen and Anthony, named their son after the legendary American
sprinter Carl Lewis. “There’s absolutely no history of any motorsport in my
family. I didn’t even have a wooden go-kart when I was a kid,” said
Hamilton.
He was two when his parents divorced. Spending weekends with his father as a
young boy, he often watched F1 races on the television. When he woke on his
fifth birthday, he found a very special present waiting for him, a
remote-controlled car.
“It was an electric off-roader and I loved it. My dad saw I had good
eye-to-hand coordination and encouraged me to try racing it against others.”
Two years later Hamilton appeared on children’s television, cutting up the
famous Blue Peter garden as he raced presenter John Leslie with a
radio-controlled car. The clip, currently one of the most popular on the BBC
Motorsport website, shows the youngster mesmerised as he sends his buggy
round the makeshift course.
“Is it easy to do?” asked Leslie. Without taking his eyes from the car,
Hamilton coolly replied: “No.” Flying past other bemused adult enthusiasts
in the race, he took the chequered flag, his first on television.
Hamilton was later given the chance to try the real thing in a go-kart. By the
age of 10, he had won his first British karting championship and was invited
to the Autosport Awards ceremony – where he famously walked up to McLaren
supremo Ron Dennis and told the millionaire that one day he would be in his
team.
Dennis didn’t blink. “He spent a while chatting to me, signed my book and
said, ‘Come back in nine years’ time’,” Hamilton recalled. “As it turned
out, McLaren signed me on a development contract when I was 12.”
Having just learnt the Highway Code for his driving test – he had six lessons
and passed first time – Hamilton lined up on the starting grid in a proper
racing car in 2002.
In 2003 he won the Formula Renault UK championship, then claimed the Formula 3
Euroseries in 2005. Upping the stakes to GP2, he took the title last year,
beating highly experienced drivers.
Hamilton tried to persuade Dennis that he was ready for the chance to become
the first driver of Afro-Caribbean origin in F1, the top rank of motor
racing.
“I’d been with McLaren so long I felt like part of the furniture. I was so
ready to prove myself in the big arena.”
Given the go-ahead, he didn’t miss his chance. In the Australian Grand Prix –
the first race of this season – he finished third, followed by four second
places and his first F1 chequered flag at the Canadian Grand Prix last
weekend.
With these six places on the winner’s podium in his first six races, he took
the lead in the world championship, becoming the sport’s most successful
rookie of all time.
None of Britain’s recent champions – Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and the late
James Hunt – started their F1 careers with such style or success. Even “the
flying Scot”, Sir Jackie Stewart, took four years to claim his first of
three titles, as did the double world champion Graham Hill.
Hamilton has pulled eight points clear of his more experienced and disgruntled
McLaren teammate, Fernando Alonso, a double world champion.
Alonso, nominally McLaren’s number one driver, claims the team is favouring
the young star; but it seems few outside his trackside mobile home are
listening or care. MUCH of the physical danger has been taken out of motor
racing. The last fatality was Ayrton Senna during the 1994 San Marino Grand
Prix.
Earlier decades had witnessed many deaths, however. Five-time Le Mans winner
and F1 driver Derek Bell recalls: “It was all about death when I was racing
in the early Seventies. Today, fortunately, it is different. Lewis is a
breath of fresh air. His problem is that he’s doing so well he might not
realise how hard it is!” Sir Stirling Moss, who as an F1 ace in the 1950s
lost many of his friends on the circuit, sees a superstar in waiting in
Hamilton. “One minute there’s a gap, the next minute Lewis is there,” he
says. “That’s the sign of a terrific racer. He has everything you need to be
a world champion.”
What makes a great racing driver, according to the F1 commentator Murray
Walker, are fast reactions, understanding the car and plenty of natural
ability. “I’m lost for words trying to describe Lewis. What he has done
already goes without precedent in the history of motor sport.
Britain’s 1964 F1 world champion, John Surtees, now 73, says Hamilton has a
huge advantage over other drivers who don’t know him yet. “Lewis is still an
enigma. I wrote him a note telling him not to trade his secrets. Keep the
mystique, it’s a valuable asset.”
His sensational arrival on the F1 circuit could prove harder to cope with off
the track than on. Britain’s last world champion, Damon Hill, recalls how
his life changed for good after winning in 1996.
“The biggest challenge is not the racing,” he says. “The hardest part about
being a British world champion is finding a safe haven from the relentless
media pressure and everyone wanting a piece of you. The pressure on Lewis
will be enormous.”
Walker believes the robust McLaren set-up will protect Lewis from much of what
lies ahead. “The media are the main problem, but there are so many
temptations for a wealthy, good-looking guy like Lewis who is already a
world sensation.
“Basically, he is a honey pot for every beautiful woman buzzing round the pit
lane and that can often be only the start of your troubles.”
Dennis is said to have ploughed £5m into Hamilton’s career before he even sat
in an F1 car. Walker says the investment has paid off handsomely. “They will
make millions out of this. It was a very shrewd move and you can be sure Ron
has nailed down a good contract.”
Hamilton is said to have a £340,000 deal for 2007 plus an extra £7,000 per
championship point, small change to most F1 stars. Pit-lane rumours suggest
that Ferrari is circling, seeking a driver with the talents of Michael
Schumacher, who won seven championships but retired last year.
A move to Italy could earn Hamilton up to $40m (£20.25m) and afford him
godlike status. There are also millions to be made from product endorsements
and marketing the Hamilton brand. a motor racing enthusiast, added: “I can’t
see McLaren handing him over after six months on the circuit, but these sort
of offers are bound to happen.
“What impresses me most about Lewis are his fitness, attitude and sheer
motivation. He’s also a lovely bloke.”
When he’s not on the F1 circuit or testing, Hamilton still lives at home with
his father and younger brother Nicholas, who has cerebral palsy. Friends say
he’s quiet, relaxed and likes to listen to music or play golf when he has
spare time.
He has been with his teenage sweetheart Jodia for three years. They met while
at college in Cambridge. “She was studying event management and now works in
London. The only problem with my job is that I don’t get to see her enough.”
Sir Jackie Stewart believes success won’t change Hamilton. “He’s a man of the
people and the people will love him for that.”
TOP SPORTS EARNERS OF 2006
Tiger Woods £48m
The most successful golfer of all time, with a dozen titles under his belt and
sponsorship deals from Nike, American Express and Buick.
Michael Schumacher £30m
The seven-time Formula One champion retired last year with 91 wins.
Phil Mickelson £24m
Mickelson has won three golfing majors, including two Masters, and 31 trophies
on the PGA tour.
Michael Jordan £17m
Went from basketball great to marketing phenomenon. Endorsed Nike, which
created the Air Jordan shoe, Gatorade sports drinks and Quaker Oats.
Kobe Bryant £16m
Shooting guard for the LA Lakers basketball team. Endorsements account for
half of his earnings.
Shaquille O’Neal £15m
O’Neal is one of America’s best known basketball players. Plays for Miami Heat
and has endorsement deals with Nestlé and Starter.
David Beckham £15m
He made £15m last year but his five-year deal with Los Angeles Galaxy, the
American team, will net him about £25m a year, putting the deal among the
biggest in world sport. The former Manchester United midfielder (left) is
thought to earn a further £15m from sponsorship deals.
Roger Federer £11.7m
The men’s tennis No 1 has won eight Grand Slam titles.
