In short
Lewis Hamilton discusses his life and career—early family sacrifice, adapting to pressure and media, breaking barriers as a Black driver, balancing fame with training, switching teams, and managing teammate dynamics—plus reflections on fashion and physical demands of racing.
Guest backgrounds
The episode is a single interview with Lewis Hamilton (seven-time Formula One World Champion; first and only “plaque” driver mentioned in the transcript). No other guests are interviewed.
Key claims
Winning is easy; learning comes from losses and emotional recovery. He says he matured from unhealthy self-blame (e.g., staying in a hotel for three days after a bad race) to moving on quickly. He credits his father’s sacrifices and values for his success, and describes cutting professional ties with his father as emotionally difficult but necessary. He frames his difference (race/style) as an advantage.
Notable examples
Cool Runnings comparison to arriving with “crap” equipment; losing his first title as “traumatizing” due to media pressure; poolside decision to move from McLaren to Mercedes; losing 8–10 pounds in hot races like Malaysia; building neck strength with added weight.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOEarly Days in Racing
0:00 to 0:17
Hamilton reflects on his early experiences in racing and his humble beginnings.
“Every game day you show up for your team.”
Early Days in Racing
0:33 to 0:59
Hamilton reflects on his early experiences in racing and his humble beginnings.
“The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money.”
Early Days in Racing
1:16 to 1:41
Hamilton reflects on his early experiences in racing and his humble beginnings.
“In 2016, we met up with Hamilton in London, where he reflected on his early days behind the wheel.”
Celebrating Wins and Handling Losses
1:41 to 1:57
Discussing Hamilton's perspective on winning and coping with losses.
“I just stayed in silence and I guess just trying to wiggle my way out of this negative headspace.”
Parental Influence and Independence
1:57 to 2:16
Hamilton talks about the challenges of independence from parental influence.
“The global icon has kept people guessing throughout his career from a surprising decision to switch teams to cutting professional ties with his father.”
Fashion and Personal Style
2:16 to 4:32
Hamilton shares his views on fashion, personal style, and evolution.
“But we start off on a lighter topic, Hamilton's appreciation for a great suit.”
Finding Personal Identity in F1
4:32 to 5:25
Exploration of Hamilton's journey to find his identity in Formula One.
“I think when I was at my first team, I was very much led to believe by my dad and people around me that I had to kind of fit in a box, which everyone does.”
Partnership with Hugo Boss
5:25 to 6:50
Hamilton discusses his long-term partnership with Hugo Boss and its impact.
“The benefits of having a lot of success in the sport.”
Balancing Fame and Life
6:50 to 11:05
Hamilton elaborates on how he balances racing with his personal life and interests.
“Because normally when I go to these cities, I don't actually, I arrive and I just work.”
Managing a Global Schedule
11:05 to 14:00
Insights into how Hamilton plans and manages his busy schedule globally.
“which really kind of molds and shapes the world champion.”
Show all 29 chapters
Lewis Hamilton's Busy Schedule
14:00 to 15:11
Learn about the demanding travel schedule of Lewis Hamilton and how he manages it.
“And naturally, on the weekend, you're serious.”
Sleep and Training Regimen
15:11 to 16:20
Discover how Hamilton balances his sleep habits with intense training schedules.
“They don't understand where I get the energy from because I don't sleep a lot.”
The Pressure of Formula 1
16:20 to 19:16
Hamilton shares the intense pressure he faced during his early Formula 1 career.
“Getting to Form 1 was an incredible achievement for our family.”
Learning from Failure
19:16 to 21:46
Explore how Hamilton learned to cope with failures and use them for growth.
“My second world championship, I, you know, was a grown man.”
Emotional Resilience in Racing
21:46 to 23:38
Hamilton discusses how emotional resilience plays a key role in his racing career.
“I like to think that I'm the most competitive person I know in everything I do.”
Physical Demands of Formula 1
23:38 to 26:12
Gain insight into the physical challenges and training for F1 drivers like Hamilton.
“And so these guys are in here today working flat out to make sure we win the next race.”
Deciding on Team Changes
26:12 to 28:00
Hamilton reflects on his pivotal decision to switch teams in Formula 1.
“or even particularly in the States, when I go and meet people, and they're like, I didn't know that I'd be talking to them.”
The Decision to Move Teams
28:00 to 30:16
Lewis Hamilton shares the contemplative moment he decided to switch from McLaren to Mercedes.
“What I had to do is really, and I learned that from my former three days.”
Tough Conversations and Emotional Farewells
30:16 to 32:01
Hamilton recalls the difficult conversation of leaving McLaren and the emotional weight it carried.
“There was no, I'm in an hour and it just became clear.”
Tough Conversations and Emotional Farewells
32:17 to 32:43
Hamilton recalls the difficult conversation of leaving McLaren and the emotional weight it carried.
“The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money.”
Rivalry and Team Dynamics with Nico Rosberg
32:43 to 34:55
Hamilton discusses the complex relationship with his teammate Nico Rosberg, balancing rivalry and teamwork.
“you're in Italy and competing among other people against your current Formula One teammate, Nico Rosberg.”
Father's Sacrifice and Life Lessons
34:55 to 38:21
Hamilton reflects on his father's sacrifices and the valuable life lessons learned along the way.
“So that's really where we both come in as teammates.”
Instilling Values as a Future Parent
38:21 to 42:05
Hamilton shares his thoughts on parenting and the values he aims to instill in his future children.
“He wanted to make sure that he wanted to work and dedicate his life to helping create a better life for us.”
Family Values and Personal Growth
42:05 to 46:03
Lewis Hamilton discusses the influence of family values on personal success.
“but I think parents, I get parents come up to me all the time like you know your dad's such an inspiration, well he's done for you, I'm trying to do that for my kid now.”
Childhood Memories and Development
46:03 to 48:08
Hamilton reflects on his upbringing and the challenges faced during childhood.
“I'm headed there after our taping today.”
Brother's Journey and Inspiration
48:08 to 50:58
Lewis shares insights about his brother's challenges and their bond.
“What do you remember from finding out he had cerebral palsy?”
Racial Identity in Formula 1
50:59 to 55:20
Hamilton discusses his evolving perspective on race and representation in motorsport.
“I don't know I think well you know now when I arrive at the race I don't think, oh, hey, we're the only black people here.”
Racial Identity in Formula 1
56:21 to 56:45
Hamilton discusses his evolving perspective on race and representation in motorsport.
“You know how a mom's bag has everything?”
Lewis Hamilton's Early Go-Kart Memories
56:48 to 1:02:10
Lewis Hamilton recalls his first experiences with go-karts and RC cars.
“I mean, when we got to Ibiza, we rented two, my stepmom had a, we rented two scooters, so we were going around the street.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Every game day you show up for your team. Now it's your time. We go V! We go V! Ask your prescriber about We Go V. Semaglutide Injection 2.4mg, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about We Go V. Why wait? We go V! This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen? Snacks? A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step.
0:54Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms. This week on the In-Depth Podcast, Lewis Hamilton. I think it's kind of cool that hopefully we're a part of helping break that mold. The seven-time Formula One champs, one of the most popular athletes in the world, and is the sport's first and still only plaque driver. I love that I turn up and I'm different to everyone else. In 2016, we met up with Hamilton in London, where he reflected on his early days behind the wheel. Everyone else has got their professional equipment and me and my dad turn up with our crap car and our crap co-cart and in these scruffy clothes.
1:31And shared how he celebrates the wins. Winning is easy. You get to, you know, you succeed and enjoying that moment is great. You don't really learn a huge amount from that. And handles the losses. I was in my hotel room for three days. I didn't leave my hotel. I didn't eat. Hardly ate. I just stayed in silence and I guess just trying to wiggle my way out of this negative headspace. The global icon has kept people guessing throughout his career from a surprising decision to switch teams to cutting professional ties with his father. It's so hard for the parent to let go and just and and realize that they've succeeded.
2:12And then, you know, now it's time to let them fly. But we start off on a lighter topic, Hamilton's appreciation for a great suit. So I actually wanted to start off by talking to you about fashion, obviously something that's really important to you. How would you describe your style? I generally have kind of more of a relaxed style, I would say. I'm more kind of urban, underground kind of street wearer that I like to wear, maybe in chic. I love naturally, I love wearing a suit. You know how good putting a suit is. you know it's like you feel so fresh once you get your nice watch on the bits to kind of show it off is there's nothing quite like wearing a crisp suit but um yeah i like to wear jeans and that's why it's exactly here i had a lot of different looks to like for example wear today but i love denim and um and i generally just wanted to be feel comfortable and i don't you know so i look take a lot of i buy a lot of magazines and i'm looking at a lot of different images of photoshoot sorry, runway shows and kind of getting kind of inspiration from all those different things and then pull stuff together myself.
3:19So you're in the dressing room before the interview, a bunch of different options. Yeah. How do you go about deciding on what to wear? It's kind of easy, really. I generally know exactly what I want, so I get whatever you gravitate to at that particular time. But, yeah, I mean, today, I just threw this together and I quite like it. I think I'll take this home. How has it evolved over the years? Hugely. You know, it's a completely different world to this racing. Because you look at pictures of yourself when you first get into Formula One compared to now. I mean, fashion's changed a lot. Even before I got to Formula One, you know.
3:58But naturally, you know, I started racing when I was eight. All the family's money went on racing. You know, like if I ever wanted to get a new piece of clothing, you know, I had to wash a lot of cars. over several months before I could even get a new jacket, you know, because every single penny that we had went to racing. So I wouldn't particularly say I had – I mean, to be honest, when I was younger, I was just in Jordan gear all the time because I was always playing basketball for the school and in the streets. But, yeah, it's just evolved a huge amount. I think when I was at my first team, I was very much led to believe by my dad and people around me that I had to kind of fit in a box, which everyone does.
4:47It's the only way you can get into Formula One is if your shape fits the box, you know what I mean? It's not like you can be your own person and have your own character, have your own style. You have to be the same as everyone else. So when I got into sport, that's kind of how I was molded to be. But I never felt comfortable. I never felt like I was in my own skin. And, you know, so it's really over the last probably five, six years that I've really been able to come out my shell. And, you know, naturally I've got my roots in the sport. Kind of they can't really get rid of me. So then I can say what I want and do what I want.
5:19And so over the last years, I've just become to found my own style, feel more comfortable being me. And that's what you see today. Right. The benefits of having a lot of success in the sport. Hugo Boss. obviously your relationship with them now goes back years from McLaren yeah now Mercedes last year you were in a city campaign in cities ranging from Moscow to London to Shanghai how about the campaign over the years that you've most enjoyed uh well I've been with Hugo Boss now since I think 2004 maybe, 2003, 2004. So quite some time. And I signed with McLaren when I was 13. So I've been with them since like 17.
6:08And it's been great. And obviously, naturally, as I got to Formula One, I did quite a lot of, done plenty of appearances and work alongside, you know, going from golf to photo shoots to magazines, all these different things. and I've just enjoyed that growth with them, but also, as I said, now beginning to be able to choose my own looks and actually get heavily involved in the design side of things, you know, so now I'm starting to get a lot more into the fashion side with Hugo Boss, and I'm enjoying it. I think the campaigns thing that we've been doing, you know, going to the different cities and getting to go around, I mean, it's not particularly a difficult job.
6:49It's kind of fun, you know, Because normally when I go to these cities, I don't actually, I arrive and I just work. I don't ever go and see what the city has to offer. So I never really have that much time. So I look at it like they've given me the opportunity to find a bit more about the culture when I go to those different places. Explain the role that Hugo Boss has in shaping the look of the team. It's quite a difficult role, I would say. You know, in Formula One, fashion is not particularly something that many teams focus on. so I would say probably 97 % look terrible and unfortunately because we have Fuga Boss is the only real is any the only fashionable company really that's there I think I mean might be some others but they're kind of irrelevant so Boss is really a job is to make the team all the team look as one and yeah this year we've kind of got a black look which She's just sleek, looks great.
7:48The logo's all in white, so they pop out quite well. And I think the style is growing. One of the things that impresses me most about you, aside from coming from nothing to all the success and breaking racial barriers and becoming a three-time world champion, is that you're obviously on top now, and you're maintaining your level of excellence all the while jet setting around the globe, singing in nightclubs, hobnobbing with celebrities, figuring out the next chapter of your life, whether that be fashion or music. How have you been able to find the balance? Well, it's taken a long time. I've been racing for 23 years, so it's a long, long time.
8:32And I guess really, I think it's just getting that inner peace, really finding that equilibrium, you know, that works for you energy-wise and balance with your training and your work and social life and all that kind of stuff. When I got to Formula One, you know, from eight to 25, I had very little social life. You know, it was literally racing, racing, racing, get to bed early. You know, I would avoid parties. I would avoid, you know, friends wanted to go and do something. Very rarely I would do things, you know, evening things, because I was like, I've got to get up and train. And it's kind of, you can be too, you can go too far sometimes.
9:14And I think it's really pulling it back a little bit, just enough that you can also, and then building a social life, you know, having time with my family, having time with my friends. That has really helped me raise my game because if you can be happy outside the car and in the car, you can be twice the driver. Do you feel like you took it too far to the extreme of not having a social life? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. As I said, yeah, I had none. So it was really about kind of finding myself. How did you go about doing that? Well, a part of the process of, you know, I left my old team, which was very much like I kind of related to living at home.
9:56you know when you first move out and get your own apartment and you take on those responsibilities on your own that first step of independence and I was in a team where I was very much part of the family you know they were protecting me in all sorts of ways and also controlling in a lot of ways and to make a decision myself no one influenced my decision to move so I did all my diligence myself and then came to the conclusion that this was a move for me whilst everyone Everyone said it was the worst thing that could die. Worst decision, I've ruined my career, blah blah blah. And now we've won two World Championships.
10:33So it's quite satisfying in that respect. But coming here, coming to a new team, there's 1 ,300 people in this team for these two cars. And to come here with no one knowing you, you have to put your skills to the test. You have to build new relationships. You have to be able to extract the most from a new car, from the new engineers and all that kind of stuff. That's been a great step in really finding just how good I am, just not going out and driving a car. It's the stuff outside, which is really, I think, which really kind of molds and shapes the world champion. Every game day you show up for your team.
11:12Now it's your time. We go V! We go V! Ask your prescriber about WeGoV, semaglutide injection 2.4 milligrams, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about WeGoV. Why wait? We. Go. V. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen. Snacks. A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step. Download the new PayPal app to get started.
12:04See paypal.com slash protection terms. And I want to touch on that coming up. I want to go back to your schedule momentarily. Who? I mean, just because it is global and ongoing, who plans it and how do you manage it? I plan it and my assistant manages it. I don't have a manager. I've fired all my managers. So I manage myself. I have my assistant. I have two assistants and one assistant. She's been with me for 10 years since I've been in Form 1. She's incredible. and then I've just got a new assistant like a year or so ago and she's fantastic she travels around with me so those are my core core team and I just sit with them and say this this you know slot this slot this and and also what I decided to do was rather than sign for a management company that has 10 20 30 40 100 acts whatever and get part get them part-time working for you I was like I'm to take a bit of time and set my own little core team up that I hire and they're focused on helping me build what I want to build because I'm gonna get there twice as fast otherwise it's gonna take twice if not three times as long with these other people who are focused on other people you know I mean so that's what I've done so now I have I have this core small group it was like five people in my little company and then I've outsourced PR who have been it's been night and day compared to what I ever had before and and I sit with them and I get a list of all the different activities that are going on around the world and I select which ones I want to go to and so and I just make it work you know and I love that the fact that also with my job and at my age I get to travel around get to see these different cities see different cultures meet new people and And just enjoy it along the way.
14:06Don't get too serious about anything. Even on the weekend, we had a race. And naturally, on the weekend, you're serious. But I don't get drawn down by the result, whether it's good or bad. Take me through all the places you'll be over the next month. Well, I haven't been home for a month. So I went to the Barcelona testing. Then I came back to the UK. I went home for literally a day. And I flew out to Australia. In homes? Monaco. Okay. Yeah. And then flew out to Australia. I was in Australia for a week and a half. Then I went to New Zealand, to Australia, to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Bahrain, Bahrain to here.
14:46And I'm here for three days. And then I go to New York for two days. And then I go to Beijing for two days. and then go to Shanghai for four or five days. And then I go to Berlin. Then I go to the UK. Then I go to LA. And then I go to Russia. So at some stage, I'll go home. How do you stay well-rested? Honestly, I don't know. I have my friends around me. They don't understand where I get the energy from because I don't sleep a lot. I like how much do you usually sleep? five hours and you know especially when I'm training twice a day often like today I won't train twice a day I train this evening because I literally just landed from Bahrain at 7am this morning straight here and got a lot of stuff to do at the factory today but yeah I don't know I just sleep when I can but I just I can't sleep long so if I go to bed at 10 o 'clock I wake up I literally wake up at like 4 or 5 a.m.
15:53And I'll be in and out of sleep from then on. So what I do is I go to bed late so I don't miss anything in my day. I generally get to bed at like 12, 1, and then I wake up early and I can't do anything but go and work out. So it actually works really well. When you won your first championship, you said you didn't enjoy it that much. Why not? I didn't enjoy it at all. How come? I think, well, it was kind of a... Getting to Form 1 was an incredible achievement for our family. It was so hard along the way. My dad had four jobs to even get me go-karting. We were racing against all these rich kids.
16:33To have walked away in our... Honestly, we had a real crap road car and crap trailer. All these people had the flashy stuff. We would arrive and we would knock them dead. That was such a satisfying thing. and then we got to Formula 1 and the pressure was so intense. You know, most of the pressure comes from myself, to want to succeed. But when you first get to Formula 1, the pressure to impress, the pressure to deliver above and beyond what your people's expectations are. So I remember my first year, my boss was like, don't be surprised, you know, you're going to be about half a second off your teammate.
17:13He's a two-time world champion, but don't worry about it. and I was like no way they're like that just kind of maybe he actually said it to fire me up I don't know but and then you know I beat I nearly beat my first race I beat him in the second race third race sorry and uh and that year I lost the world championship which was really you know in the face of in front of so many yeah in front of so many people um managing embarrassment managing your emotions was really difficult. And the next year bounced back. Why embarrass, though? I mean, here you are your first year. You barely miss out on winning the championship.
17:55Well, yeah, I understand. I don't know. I mean, when you're in front of cameras, the emotions, you know, I'm a very emotional person, so you're put in front of cameras all the time, the highs and the lows. I'm just meaning that. Not particularly embarrassment, but that experience was kind of a bit traumatizing in my first year at such a young age. And I wasn't prepared for media. I didn't have media lessons, how to speak to cameras, how to speak to people. I just arrived and I was thrown in the deep end without any lessons, you know. And I just handled it the best way I could. And I won the championship the next year.
18:33But, again, really traumatizing because I lost it for a second. And in the last corner I got the championship. and also you know I had a lot of penalties given me to me in those two years through no fault of my own and and uh just through some strange things that were going on in the business and almost like anything to stop me from from succeeding so when I finally succeeded was a great feeling but we just rolled on to the next year and and I think I think just also as a as a I was 23. I guess I just wasn't mature enough to grasp everything that was going on and to go and enjoy it. So, you know, I came home and started training for the next season and, you know, I just didn't enjoy it.
19:17My second world championship, I, you know, was a grown man. So I got to enjoy it, got to embrace it more, utilize the time, because you never know when it's going to be your last day of driving and also championships. And not to mention, I think no person has had to wait longer between their first and second championships. Yeah. then you so gave you time to appreciate it. Obviously, you have to wait long before winning your third since it was the following year. But I want to... Do you understand what I mean? Oh, yeah, for sure. It's probably hard to grasp it, but at 22, 23, winning the World Championship, man, it's something.
19:55But as I said, it didn't live up to expectation because it was so pressured and so controlled. I didn't feel comfortable with myself at the time. I read about a race early on in your Formula One career in Fiji where I think something, you know, just a bad race and the article read that after the race you basically stayed in your hotel for three days straight. How much would you used to beat yourself up when things wouldn't go well? An insane amount, which was unhealthy. healthy. What would you be doing in the hotel for the three days after the race? I remember after that race, I would just have the biggest headache and just like you're under the biggest dark cloud.
20:40And I was in my hotel room for three days. I didn't leave my hotel. I didn't eat, hardly ate. I just stayed in silence. And I guess just trying to wiggle my way out of this negative headspace. Anyways, I came back and won the next race. But the point is, I think in life, and I'm sure many people do it, where you hold on to things, you dwell on things. And at the point, at the time in my life, I was just so stubborn and so set in my ways that I couldn't get past things. So sometimes it would take days, weeks to get past failure. Because you know what it is, you train so hard, you've done it a million times, you know, that corner.
21:25and then you make a mistake or something like that. You've done your due diligence time and time and time again and then you still make that mistake. So it's just not being able to forgive yourself. So I think I matured a huge amount so it takes me no time at all to get past things and that's been a huge release and it's helped me raise my level again by quite some way, I think. How competitive are you? As competitive as anyone I know. I like to think that I'm the most competitive person I know in everything I do. But I think it's different to when I was younger. When I was younger, there's no losing.
22:09I would never think that losing was acceptable. But I am now, being older, I understand that losing is actually a part of it. Losing is actually what's helped me be the driver I am today. Those lows make the highs even higher. those difficulties that you go through the character building process are necessities so I actually really enjoy the times that I don't succeed because I feel like I grow you really enjoyed in the moment or looking back? no, afterwards for example the weekend I came third and at the time I was fairly chilled about it next day you feel that churn in your gut and you go and train and you use that energy and you grow and you figure out ways like for example today we're going to sit down and figure out how we fix that and also how you handle it in that low moment is what just what what um what is most important you know winning is easy you get to you know you succeed and enjoying that moment is great you don't really learn a huge amount from that but as i said it's that those low points that you do so how after i came out the race and how i connect connected with my engineers who all feel the pain and i'm feeling I could just be down and bring everyone else down.
23:24Instead, lift them up. Let them know that, don't worry, we're going to work through this. There were these great things that happened this weekend. There's so many positives. So let's just discard the negative and just try and work to make sure that doesn't happen again. And so these guys are in here today working flat out to make sure we win the next race. What do you think about win racing? Just think about winning. Just think about winning? Yeah, I think about winning. You know. I mean, do you ever daydream? Not when you're racing, no. Not when you're practicing sometimes. Okay. In winter testing, because it gets kind of boring.
24:04Like you could be thinking about anything? I'm thinking about, yeah. You could be thinking about food. You could be thinking about the next time you're going to go and party. The next movie you're going to go and see. And while you're driving around the track at a couple hundred miles an hour? Yeah, because like down the straight, because it gets kind of, you're like on autopilot in practice, in testing. But on the race weekend, no, because every bit of feedback you get, every bump, every sign, breaking point, all these different things, you've got to collect all that information to then translate to your team to decide where you're going to take the car out of balance.
24:38So you can't, there's no time for that. What will you see during a race when you're driving a couple hundred miles an hour? Surprisingly, you see everything. It's interesting you say that too, because we taped an episode with Mario Andretti, and I remember him saying, you know, if somebody had a red shirt in the crowd, he could pick out a specific person. I mean, can you... I don't look at the people. Naturally, it's like your vision, for some reason, like when you get into a car, it's like you go into hyperdrive, and all of a sudden, your vision opens, and you see so much. I can see the dude over here walking and see what he's wearing, but when I'm on the track, I have to be able to choose which parts I want to take and store and use.
25:28So breaking points, bumps, skid marks, different tones of grass, different colour of the white stripe, the white line, the signposts, the fence colour, all these kind of things you point out and things that you use for references of braking, speed to judge your distance between braking and corner. So the crowd is not something I look at. What I was unaware of was how sore the driving will make your neck at times. What have you done over the years to strengthen your neck with the weight and the helmet and all of that? Yeah, basically most people I meet, particularly people that don't get to watch Formula One or who have just begun watching Formula One, or even particularly in the States, when I go and meet people, and they're like, I didn't know that I'd be talking to them.
26:20I'd say, yeah, I can lose nine, ten pounds in the race. And they're like, what? No way. I was like, I just thought you just sat there and just drove. You could lose nine or ten pounds in a race? Sometimes I lose, like Malaysia, I always lose around 10 pounds in that race. How hot is it? I mean, I don't know. It's bloody roasting there. And it's humid, like 100 % humidity. There's no air, cool air coming in. So you're on thermal underwear, suit, gloves, balaclava helmet, and it's just like working out in the sauna for an hour and a half. And it's crazy. So there's like probably three races that it's four, 10 pounds, 9, 8 pounds and then the other races are generally like 5 pounds.
27:06You lose through the race. But it's the physical g-force that we pull through through all the corners so you're pulling a multiple of your body weight and to be able to hold your body up whilst you're having those forces pull on your legs and your core and then afterwards you have all these pains in your body and your muscles tense tightness and all those kind of things you have to have a lot of physio. So that's what you have to work on and the neck when I first got to Formula One, geez I did three days of driving and I couldn't hold my head up after the half halfway through the first day and so what you do is you get I had a helmet and I put 22 pounds on top and you lay off a table or a bench and you do multiple reps just to build your neck up so my neck grew like an inch and a half when I first got to Formula One and then since then you know at the end of the season you only have two months off it kind of shrinks and then the next time it comes up and so you're just conditioning strength and conditioning you once said when i first got to the sport i was like i've got to do everything i'm told and now i don't do a lot of what i'm told i think you were poolside in thailand you said when contemplating the the switch and that was when you ultimately decided to make the move from mclaren to mercedes what was it poolside that you thought about that made you decide to finally make the jump?
28:31Well, I mean, I prayed about it a lot. What I had to do is really, and I learned that from my former three days. You know, I was in a team called Manor, which is actually in Formula 1 now, and I had to choose whether to go from Manor or to, no, I had to choose if I wanted to do a former three to GB2 in the first year of GB2 in 2005, or stay another year and learn more in Formula 3. And also I was changing teams. So what I had learned there to the decision moving here is I just made notes, the pros and cons of my options that I had. And there were good bits and bad bits about either way. Staying at McLaren, I thought that, geez, the car that I've helped build and grow to where we are now, most likely.
29:21You'd been there since you were a teenager. Yeah, and we'd finally, we'd just missed out in 2012 World Championship. And with improved reliability, maybe we'd had a chance of winning the championship in 2013. So I was like, I could sacrifice that. I don't want to sacrifice the short term for the long term goal. And that's coming to this team, for example, that was like fifth best at the time. And helped them grow to being the best. but when I was sitting looking I was in Thailand and I was by the pool and it was the heat at the moment I had to make the decision because the slots available McLaren was pushing me Mercedes was pushing me for an answer and I remember just sitting there and for some reason I just came to a really peaceful moment I was looking over the sea, the sun was setting there was these really beautiful little islands in the distance and it just came to me I was like, yeah, I'm going to do it.
30:17And there was no nervousness about it. There was no, I'm in an hour and it just became clear. So I made the decision, called up the bosses and had to tell them, which was the hardest thing to do. What did you say? Oh, it was horrible, you know, because as I said, I was signed when I was 13. So I'd known Martin and Ron since I was 13. So I have to call them and say, I'm leaving. was difficult, especially when you could hear their voice. And because naturally it's painful for them to hear that, you know, someone they've been with for so long, helped nurtured, helped get to Formula One. It's almost for sure a feeling of betrayal, but I think they understood that what I needed to do for me as a man.
30:59And I think they respected that. How did you explain it? Firstly, I started out just saying this has been an incredible journey. Firstly, I want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've done to help me get being where I am today. And I think, honestly, for me, the next step in my life is to take this next step of independence, to go to a team, to challenge, to take everything I've learned from you guys and in this experience and take it to a new team and see if I can drive another car, see if I can turn another car into a World Championship winning car with a team. And I think they understand, you know, naturally I think at the beginning they perhaps didn't fully understand it, But I think afterwards and then now, for example, when I speak to them, I think they understand.
31:45Every game day, you show up for your team. Now it's your time. We go V! We go V! Ask your prescriber about Wegovy, semaglutide injection 2.4 milligrams, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Wegovy. Why wait? We. Go. Beat. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen. Snacks. A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step.
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32:38Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms. Growing up, I think one of your first European races, you're in Italy and competing among other people against your current Formula One teammate, Nico Rosberg. And after the race, his dad, who's Formula One champion, comes up and congratulates you on winning the race. How close did you and Nico become after that? I mean I started racing against Nico in 1996, 97 and you know he was the golden child when I moved to Italy to race. I was this unknown kid and Nico was the golden child there because you know naturally being a Formula One world champion's son, he was in the spotlight, everyone was focused on him and he had the best of everything with the top team.
33:33and to come up and then come along and I beat me my first race which was which was amazing and our relationship started from there and Then we were teammates a few years later on which we traveled everywhere together like You know, we didn't really take flights traveling around Italy obviously, so we were always in the car so many jokes movies fun things that we we did along the way and And then when we got obviously older, when we moved into cars, he went to Formula BMWs in Europe or in Germany, and I went to UK to do British Formula Renault. And then we didn't speak for probably a couple of years, and then came back into Formula One.
34:14What's kind of unique and unusual about Formula One is your teammate is also, in this case, not your teammate or your greatest rival and one of the guys you're trying to beat each week. So how strange is that dynamic? And maybe less strange because you're in it, but from the outside, it's contradictory. to really work. Because obviously, so we have the two championships within the one kind of championship battle. And one's the driver's championship and the other's the team constructive championship. The team only, the team mostly cares about the constructive championship because that's what sells cars.
34:57So that's really where we both come in as teammates. We've both got to score points. You know, you can't have one guy finishing first and one guy finishing 10th. You both need to score, particularly when you're up against It's a Ferrari who are banking points as well. So that's our core job. And then individually, we want to be the first. We want to be the one that's ahead. And you're always based off your teammate because they're in the same equipment as you. So it actually works out really well. And having that intense battle inside the team, it has to be really carefully managed by the management.
35:34They do a great job in this team. So, you know, and as me and Nico get older and older, we get used to each other's ways. And, you know, we've had lots of ups and downs, but, you know, really maturing a lot in how we negotiate that battle. Is it possible or even healthy to be as close to friends as you guys might have been back in the younger days? Well, it's not possible because I don't think it's possible. I mean, we have complete different lives. We do different things. Nico's married with a kid and grew up in a lot different area than I did. And, you know, he's a lot different than he was when we were back then.
36:20The reason we got on so well was because I was crazy and he happened to do some of the crazy things that I did too. So we kind of got along well. Now he doesn't do any of those crazy things that I do and I still do all those crazy things. So naturally we've gone different ways with different dynamics. But, you know, we've got our core group of friends each. And with the intensity of a battle like we are having, it's impossible to have that relation. You can't be friends. Yeah, yeah, win the world championship. No problem, buddy. That's not how it goes. You know, like, you know, what's going to win the championship?
36:52That's all that matters. Your dad said to you when you were a young boy growing up, if you work hard in school, he'll support your racing career. How would you best explain the sacrifice that he made for you? My family, my dad. I naturally would not be here without them. It's not like maybe other sports or other businesses where you can make it on your own. This is one where I've had a real core, an incredible force behind me, which was my dad. and the guidance, the decisions, the values in which he installed in me have helped me to be where I am today and do what I do. Incredible foresight, incredible belief that he had in me.
37:45There's a lot of parents nowadays that, probably back then as well, that stand on the sidelines of their kids' football game and think their kids is the business when maybe not. and he knew that, he saw something in me that perhaps no one else did and was going to do everything in his power to make, what he would say is he doesn't want me or my younger brother to struggle the way he did, to face the difficulties in life that he had to face, be it with work, with people talking down to him, with whatever it may be that he was faced with. He wanted to make sure that he wanted to work and dedicate his life to helping create a better life for us.
38:33And I think now growing up, seeing one day I'm going to be a father, and a long way from now, but I think he's an inspiration to many fathers and parents, you know because people can really take a page out of his book. And what's unique about your situation growing up is you guys didn't have a lot of money and Formula One's a sport where nepotism's common, you know you generally have to have a lot of money to have success and your situation was anything but that. What do you remember from him holding three jobs growing up trying to make ends meet? I just remember my dad not really getting a lot of sleep.
39:14I remember him, I remember going on errands with him where he'd go and put, you know, I'd be sitting in the backseat of the car with this big solid bit of wood with the for sale signs for houses. Because you got paid per sign, right? Yeah, it was like 15 pounds or 10 pounds or something like that, you know. So we'd go around and go and drive to all these houses overnight and be putting up for sale signs and vendor machine. the dude just doing whatever he could to make a little bit of money to be able to, and then you know once he'd finished that, once he finished his day job then doing that, then he'd be in the garage all night cleaning, preparing my car, my go-kart, you know, getting it all ready for the next race.
40:00It was beautiful to see, you know, and there was some of the greatest moments was sitting, sitting in the garage and just watching him work, you know, and at some point, him let me be a part of it and then that journey we took when we get to the racetrack where we were the kind of uninvited guests and not particularly always welcomed and we just you know me and him just kept our head down and we'd be in the back of our little box trailer with a little gas heater and a cup of noodle soup and some bacon sandwiches because my stepmom was really good at making those for us and you know and you know we just looked like we we kind of looked a bit like peasants but we got out there and I thrashed this old crappy cart round and we beat people and you know we'd leave feeling just full of energy full of great achievement and that was really what it was about it wasn't about hey we want to be world we want to be former world champions that's what that's not what we got into it for we got into it because it was something for my dad to do with me and vice versa, and a way in which we could bond.
41:14Otherwise, he would be lost. It's like, what am I going to do with this kid? Kind of awkwardness. What do I do with this young kid that's wild and does all these crazy things? The only way to keep him on the straight and narrow and not have him go to prison at 13 is to put him in a go-kart and be constructive with his time. You mentioned you want to have kids one day. What do you think he taught you about fatherhood? In being a father? Yeah, a bit like what I was just commenting on. We are actually different in many ways because naturally I've got half for my mum, half for him. I think, as I said, he's an inspiration for other parents, even today.
41:59I don't think parents just take inspiration from what I'm achieving because ultimately it's what we've achieved. but I think parents, I get parents come up to me all the time like you know your dad's such an inspiration, well he's done for you, I'm trying to do that for my kid now. So you know when I get older I just you know installing the right values in in the young one you know supporting them. I think even more so where I am now letting them be who they want to be and not letting anyone and supporting them making sure that no one around them tries to to sway whichever character that they want to be, you know, and just giving them all the opportunity possible.
42:38But I want them to work hard so, you know, naturally I have money so I'm not going to be, I'm not going to be giving them a silver spoon and make them work for it. Because that's the only way in which you, I think, can really value these achievements, value money, value hard work. I was watching an interview your friend Beyonce did not too long ago with Oprah and Beyonce who was famously managed by her father for a long time, was telling Oprah about how she knew for a while she was ready to cut professional ties with her father, but it took a long time from when she first realized that to building up the courage to actually doing it.
43:24How similar was it for you? Exactly the same, yeah. I mean, it is very, very tough, and you build that relationship with that person. They work from the ground up. They create something from nothing. And it's very hard for a parent to let go. It's so hard for the parent to let go and realize that they've succeeded. And then, you know, now it's time to let them fly. You know, they've got the wings. It's time to let them fly on their own. I think that was... To be able to get to that point and tell your parent that. and there's no really right way of doing it. How do you do it? Either way, it's going to be an upset experience.
44:09It's going to be emotional one way or another. I'm sure there can be a slightly better than worse, but for me, it was a disaster. How much thought did you put in leading up to that, how you were going to do it? My friends and family, my mum, for example, never thought I would ever be able to do it. She was like, I thought you were going to be in it forever. And she was always worried for that. But I think it just got too intense at one point. And I was like, I just want to be, I want to go for a beer with you. I don't want to have to talk about business. I don't want to talk about business ever anymore.
44:49I want it to be lighthearted. I don't want us to have a joke. I want us to party. I want us to get to a point where it's just a great father-son relationship. because when it's business involved, it's stressful. What was involved with getting from the point of, you know, cutting the professional ties to where you actually wanted the relationship to get to? Well, I'm still working on getting a relationship to where I wanted to get to, so it's taken a long time. And I guess really just getting on with it. And, I mean, you've got to make the decision and you've got to go with it and try then pick up the pieces afterwards.
45:27And, you know, you never know how long that's going to take. But I definitely am really happy where I am today. I'm more proud of the decisions that I've made to be where I am today. And actually, I owe who I am today and what I've achieved today to my family. And the fact is they've instilled good values in me and helped me. The decisions I make today are based on all these experiences I saw my dad do, you know. And I used that wise mental head that he helped put on my shoulders to be here today and have those championships. You grew up in a one-bedroom flat in Stevenage, which is about 30 miles north of London.
46:07I'm headed there after our taping today. Stevenage? Stevenage. Oh, really? Check it out, where you grew up. Don't expect a lot. How would you describe, first, the house you grew up in? um well my parents split when i was two so i um i'd live with my dad in in the one bedroom flat so i lived in the couch and then my mom had a cancel house um you lived with your mom till 10 and then till i was eight okay yeah and then your dad and stepmom yeah um and i don't know it was just it was a cancel house and it wasn't particularly the greatest but it was all we We loved it and my mum put a lot of effort into making the house homely.
46:51My mum even had like three jobs. So I would always be with, you know, when I was at school, I had a foster, like a childminder, which was another school parent's, another school kid's parent. And you know, till my mum gets home from work late and she'd pick me up and then she'd drop, my sister would look after me when my mum goes through aerobics. or I'll be with my grandparents who were a handful as a kid. Yeah, so even I drive, I get to go back to Stevenage quite often and I drive through, which probably not many people would know. What's it like? Well, when I drive through, I love it. I feel at home.
47:37I just have all these memories of I got run over by a motorbike over there and I used to walk with my childhood sweetheart up along this walkway or I played football over there. That's where I had my first fight, all these different things. So I've always had great memories. And yeah, so hopefully you get to see a bit of it. Your younger brother, Nico, born two months premature. I think he wasn't breathing when he came out. Doctors told your parents he would never be able to walk. What do you remember from finding out he had cerebral palsy? Well, I was seven, so I didn't really understand that at the time.
48:22When my brother was born, it was just one of the greatest experiences for me. Having a young little, he just looked like a sack of spuds. You know, just a little fat thing. He was so chubby. and he would just sit there and just never move and it was just, you know, I loved growing up with him and then, you know, when he was starting to get older starting to do things with him you know, having someone you love to play with and naturally he was into he would be all my racist from a young kid because we would drag him around with us And, you know, now he's a great young man. He's 24. He's race cars, naturally, because he wants to be a racing driver, because I'm a racing driver.
49:11Been around cars his whole life. I mean, that's what's cool about it, too. I mean, he's similarly defied all odds. Absolutely, yeah. I think that's really, I think, because, yeah, he was told he wouldn't walk. He was told that he wouldn't be able to play drums. He was told he wouldn't be able to drive, all these different things. and I think he loves to find what people say you can't do. And that's exactly how I am, really. So we share that same thing in common. And not to mention, I was looking at his Instagram yesterday. He's very open, too, about his experiences and how, you know, it impacts his life.
49:45Yeah, definitely. You know, for me watching my brother, you know, everything was, physically, everything was easy for me as a kid, as it is for us. You know, walking around, playing football, playing basketball, doing whatever activity you want, fall over get back up all these different things and me growing up watching this young kid with this difficulty it was kind of hard to grasp can't imagine how hard it is for him but I did understand because I was with him all the time so I'd see the the tears I'd see the the way people look at him I'd see the way other kids would look at him and and treat him and and for me being the older brother just wanted to to show him you know never give up and and then he inspired me as a young kid to seeing him fall over when we're playing football and it's easy for me to run around him with the ball but like when we'd be playing basketball I'd get in the wheelchair and battle with him you know and and but he never wants he never wanted to it to be an issue so he just always falls over gets back up and doesn't even doesn't even worry about it just gets up and pushes along so you know he's inspired so many so many people not only with the disability but also without disabilities today and just showing that anything is possible you know work hard for something and you can get there.
50:59I think it was on your website you revealed that when you first came into Formula One you were a little uncomfortable about race and you know you kind of wanted to downplay the fact that you were the first black Formula One driver whereas now you've really embraced it. Explain that change in mindset. I don't know I think well you know now when I arrive at the race I don't think, oh, hey, we're the only black people here. Right. You know, I never, ever did that. But I think just getting older, understanding that it actually is actually something and embracing that and using that is actually a real positive.
51:40I love that I turn up and I'm different to everyone else. All the other drivers stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other drivers in some ways. and I like that and seeing it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. And I think as a kid with difficulties that you face, whether it be racism, whether it be those hard times, I laugh upon it now. I don't know if you've seen Cool Run-Ins, like my favorite movie. I love when they arrive the first time on the top of the hill and they pull out their crappy sled, which is exactly the same as me and my dad arriving at the track. Everyone else has got their professional equipment and me and my dad turn up with our crap car and our crap go-kart and in these scruffy clothes.
52:21And it's like everyone stops. And that's how it is in Cool Run-Ins. The whole paddock stopped to see what they're doing here. And then they went and knocked everyone dead, and that's what we did. How much do you think your dad struggled early on when he was talking to potential sponsors because of race? I mean, obviously I wasn't there, but I imagine it just again, just like Cool Run-Ins, where they would go, how would you like to sponsor the first Jamaican Pops 18? And everyone would laugh. And I imagine my dad going into these meetings and saying, how would you like to support the first black Formula One driver?
52:57And they'd be like, yeah, right. And we didn't get a lot of support. But those who did, I'm very, very grateful to. People who sponsored us with free tires, fuel, those different things, which made a huge impact for us because we didn't have any money. My dad spent his life savings, him and my stepmom's life savings in the first year. And then some. Yeah, and remortgaged the house, God knows how many times, or the apartment so many times to get us to the race weekends. And so, but I can't, I can only, it's difficult to imagine because he would have protected me from the difficulties that he was facing because, you know, he wouldn't want me to see those things.
53:40But I can only imagine how hard it was for him. And I'm told I'm a stepmom and my mom of just how difficult times sometimes he was faced with. And that's what makes me even more proud of him. Tell about the moment not too long ago. You're in New York City. An African-American woman comes up to you and shows you a picture of her nine-year-old son. Yeah, that was in, I was at the Met, sorry, the Amphar Gala. And yeah, this is, I think she's a black supermodel, I think she was a model, came rushing over to me and she's like, oh my God, my son's racing cars and he wants to be you. and you know can you follow him so I followed him on Instagram and it was kind of cool because you know growing up from eight to eight to actually to even now I've never raced against and never ever seen another another black family racing is when you know and when you're in all the series you know in all the different classes there was never another black family on the race weekend So to now see that young, that Asian kids, black kids, different ethnicities are now coming in, I feel kind of proud that we perhaps were a part of helping break that mold, knocking that wall down.
55:08And now other people from different walks of life are kind of getting into sports. So it's not as big as what Tiger did or the Williams sisters did, but hopefully in our own little way it was... But why isn't it? I don't know, I'm just saying, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I think it's kind of cool that hopefully we were part of helping break that mold. So I was very, very proud when she came over, and I was like, I can't believe it. See the picture of this little kid who looks just like how I looked with the little helmet, which is sitting on the back of the top seat because it's so small.
55:43Can't barely see over the steering wheel. And one day wanted to be here doing what I do. Every game day you show up for your team. Now it's your time. We go V. We go V. Ask your prescriber about We Go V. Semaglutide Injection 2.4mg, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about We Go V. Why wait? We go V. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen? Snacks? A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step.
56:42Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms. How well, if at all, do you remember getting into a go-kart for the first time on vacation in Ibiza? I remember it like yesterday. You do? Yeah. What do you remember? I mean, when we got to Ibiza, we rented two, my stepmom had a, we rented two scooters, so we were going around the street. And how old are you then? I must have been four or five. Wow. and I remember sitting in the middle of the seat, you know, in between my dad's legs while we were riding around on this scooter, this moped. And then we found this little track and it just had three corners and my dad put me in the go-kart.
57:25And I remember driving and straight away, you know, on this five laps, whatever that, or whatever laps I did, I picked up this braking technique and it happened, that braking technique, I used my whole karting career. and so you know I was at home already in that and then I didn't get to drive a good car until I was seven after that a couple years later. Yeah who would have thought that now I'll be driving for one. What did you most enjoy about those Sunday morning remote control race car experiences? I love that it was different I love cars, toy cars whatever it may be. It was something that was good at you know I struggled at school I struggled at everything else and it was one thing that my dad I could do and kind of not show off but like kind of hey dad look what I can do you know whichever kid wants to see your dad smile and be proud of you for something that was the one thing that I knew that I can make him proud with so I strive to do it as well as I could in in in every way possible.
58:33Do you still have your, is it turbo burns? I do. Why? Oh man, that's my, so I had, so my first radio control car was like a Cougar, it was a Cougar something, Cougar 2000, and then I got a cat electric car, which I remember my dad worked so hard to get, and then he built it from scratch. And then the next step was to buy a petrol car. And someone was selling this old petrol car that they had. And I remember driving it around the track at the end of this practice or race day we had. And I blew the engine. The engine blew up, but we bought it. And my dad fixed it up, made it ours, made it ours, and we won races with it.
59:26Anyways, when I got to Formula 1 to do something with my brother, he started getting into those things. So I started going to, I got my own car, same car as him. And we'd go to, I was in Formula 1, so I'd arrive at these tracks and people were surprised to see me there. But I'd just go, you know, as I used to go in just like scruffy clothes. And, you know, I'd go and marshal on the track. I'd go and race with my brother. But my original cars I have and I've spent some time polishing them up, took them to bits, rebuilt it and modified it so it's better. And it's still, I love the fact that now I start that car from my first turbo, my turbo bends, turbo burns.
1:00:09I start it off and it just sits there ticking over. It's set perfectly. And I'll always have that. That's one of my prized possessions. Yeah, I'm sure you figured you'd get out of here without having to tell this story. but the auto sports awards dinner as a kid and running into the then McLaren head. Yeah. Well, that was crazy because when you win a championship, it's kind of like our music awards but in a much smaller scale and not as cool. It's actually not really fun. But I was 10. We didn't have money for a suit. I borrowed it from, we borrowed it from a family who the kid had gone the previous year.
1:00:51So I had this green velvet suit that I borrowed from this kid. And yeah, my dad put together this little booklet with a space for an autograph, phone number, address, name, all that kind of stuff. And we went around to, I went around, I didn't actually know, I knew of people, but I didn't know who was who by looking at their face. She's like, oh, that's so-and-so, that's so-and-so. So I'd go over and I was like, hey, can I have your autograph? And at that time he said, that's Ron Dennis who owns the McLaren and he builds Ayrton's car. And for me, bing. That's my favorite driver. Yeah. So I was like, I want to go see him.
1:01:34So I went up to him and I was like, yeah, one day, I just won the British Championship and one day I want to be in Formula 1 in your car and be world champion for you. Three years later He signed me. And then 10 years later, I won the world championship for him. So kind of a cool story. And I still have that page. He said, phone me in nine years and I'll give you a deal. You still have it? Yeah, yeah, of course. Thanks for listening to my chat with Lewis Hamilton. To watch us take a drive in the English countryside, go to youtube.com slash Graham Bensinger. And if you get a chance, give us a rating and review.
1:02:07Thanks again for listening. Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time. We Go V! We Go V! Ask your prescriber about We Go V. Semaglutide Injection 2.4mg, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovy.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about We Go V. Why wait? We Go V!
1:02:41This episode is brought to you by State Farm. No two football players are exactly alike, and the same is true off the field. That's why State Farm gets to know you so they can help personalize coverage for your life and budget. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
From the publisher
Graham travels to Brackley, England to sit down with five-time Formula 1 champ, Lewis Hamilton. The global icon and one of TIME’s most influential people talks about breaking barriers as the first black driver in the F1, the controversial decisions to leave both Team McLaren and his father as manager and a lost friendship with former teammate and rival, Nico Rosberg.
