Hamilton from the suffering of childhood and modest life to the club of the greats of Formula One

Portimao (Portugal) – Briton Lewis Hamilton has gone from being a poor child to a black father and white mother who separated when he was two, to one of the best drivers in the Formula One world championship as he marched steadily towards his seventh world title after his historic victory on Sunday in Portugal.

The 35-year-old Mercedes driver continues to break records one by one, most recently when he won 92nd in his career, to be unique in the record he shared with German legend Michael Schumacher.

In his first comment on Sunday’s achievement, Hamilton did not forget to mention the merit of the Mercedes workers for what he has offered in the arena since joining the German team in 2013 and winning the world title with him five out of six times. in his career thus far, saying, “I owe it all My accomplishments to the Mercedes workers. What an amazing effort, the one they are putting in. They are constantly pushing and raising the bar in turn … It’s great to work with this team.” .

Hamilton, a social actor especially in the fight against racial discrimination, is steadily advancing towards his fifth consecutive world title and the seventh in his career after raising his score to 256 points up front against his Finnish colleague Valteri Bottas (179) and Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (162) five years ago. Tours at the end of the season.

The Briton said: “Just being with this team inspires me to keep pushing and striving for greater success. There is no desire to be there and race for Mercedes. I could only dream of achieving these achievements. I didn’t have the magic ball when I decided. join the Mercedes team, but I had it. ” Here now, I try to use each day in the best possible way. That is why everyone can see these results. “

I admit it, I will need some time before I realize my achievement, but I was pushing when I passed the finish line and I was still in career mode. I can’t put my feelings into words right now. “

Hamilton managed to win his 92 races in 262 races, while Schumacher needed 307 races. Third in the ranking is the other German, Sebastian Vettel, but by a wide margin with 53 victories in 260 races.

Hamilton set another record in possession of Schumacher this season when he took the podium for the 156th time in his career during the Spain race last August, before raising it to 161 on Sunday.

Preferred parent

Hamilton also surpassed Schumacher in the number of games in first place in 2017, where he was successful 97 times, compared with 68 for the German and 65 for the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

Hamilton owes his rise to this status to his father, Anthony, who was there on Sunday to celebrate his 92nd victory with him.

Despite his difficult financial situation, his father did not skimp on developing his talents from childhood, and he was forced to work three jobs to provide enough money for Lewis to participate in go-kart racing.

Child poverty did not hide the exceptional talent that Hamilton enjoyed from a young age and made him a natural pilot. In 1995, when he was 10 years old, Hamilton borrowed the clothes of a former British karting age group champion and won the title as his successor.

Meet the McLaren president at the time, Ron Dennis. The boy, Hamilton, asked Dennis to sign a memorial and said, “Someday I want to race with you,” to which the latter replied, “Call me after nine years and I’ll make a deal with you.”

Denise didn’t wait nine years. After just three, he agreed to sponsor Hamilton’s race in the lower classes of Formula, before entering his first race in the first category with the British team in 2007.

Stubborn, tough, fast

Hamilton didn’t wait long to prevail in a relentless sport, be it in terms of fierce rivalry between drivers or even in terms of the physical requirements of each race. Stubborn, tough and unique in his decisions … qualities added to his talent, which contributed to his “storm” in his first season as he neared the title, especially after he was on the podium nine times in a row in his first nine races.

Fast action on and off the track. Moody, sharp at times, and a competitor who knows no limits or fears, even from a colleague who holds the World Cup twice: in his first year with McLaren he competed with Fernando Alonso, and was victorious with the departure of the Spanish from the team to end of the season.

The start was an early indication of how tough a fellow Hamilton driver was. The Briton had no chance of claiming the title in his first season, but he didn’t wait long: in 2008, in fifth place in the last race in Brazil, he narrowly did it, and was crowned champion for the first time.

His tension was not relieved by the McLaren’s failure to keep up with German Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, when the blond driver dominated the world championship. He moved to Mercedes, stepping away from Dennis’s power at McLaren and from his father Anthony’s power as his business manager. In the German national team he became a colleague of a childhood friend: the German Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton gradually embarked on a luxurious lifestyle, especially in the United States, where he became the star of nightlife with musicians and fashion stars. He did not comply with the restrictions to which athletes are usually subject, but that did not prevent him from returning to first place and winning the title for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015), in what Formula One fans considered a break from the Vettel’s dominance, and an opportunity to revive competition in the sport.

“Who would have expected this to happen?”

2016 was the title of the rivalry between Hamilton and his teammate Rosberg, and Mercedes continued to outperform the rest of the teams.

In the last race, the German won the championship at the expense of his British colleague, denying him the opportunity to continue the championship. However, Rosberg surprised everyone with his retirement days after winning his first career title.

From 2017, Hamilton appeared to be an indomitable driver who completely dominated the world championship until the current season in which the other drivers have overcome difficult conditions caused by the repercussions of the emerging corona virus.

Mercedes manager Toto Wolf says Hamilton “is never satisfied. He does not rest. He is never happy with who he is as a driver or as a human. He wants to achieve his best, develop and is a very important part of team leadership.”

Commenting on what Hamilton achieved on Sunday, the Austrian said: “Winning 92 Formula One races! Who would have expected that when we started our project with Lewis Hamilton in 2013? It’s definitely an imaginary number. It’s about passion, energy. and all the things Lewis Hamilton has to offer. ” .