Lewis Hamilton has revealed how he had to put a personal tragedy behind him to seal a historic fifth Formula 1 world championship in Mexico over the weekend.
After finishing fourth in Mexico to become the joint second most successful driver of all time, Hamilton spoke movingly of the death of his paternal grandfather, Davidson Augustine Hamilton, and how his passing last Thursday had pulled his family even closer together.
He added how proud he was of what his father Anthony had done to facilitate his early racing, and of their father and son moments racing karts at Rye House near Hoddesdon when he was eight.
Core moments, he called them.
“My grandfather’s death naturally brought us a little bit closer and I will always remember the things that my Dad did in order for me to be here today and for our family to thrive,” Hamilton said.
“I really do aspire to be like him, as a strong, black man and as a father and as a human being, for doing what he did in the difficult times with the little that he had. Honestly, at the centre of who I am, I always remember driving around Rye House and my Dad was the only father that would go out on the track.
“When I was eight, the quickest kid was called Nicky Richardson. I looked up to Nicky. He was so quick and I was like “I’ve got to be better than him somehow”. My Dad would go and stand where he was braking and then he would move several metres down and say “this is where you have to brake”. No other father was doing that.
“I would go around and try to brake at that point and I would spin off and crash, and spin off and crash. But eventually I could do it and I’ve always been known as a late braker.
“Those core moments, those special moments, are what I fight with today and are at the core of who I am.”
