Lewis Hamilton Quotes
Formula One Driver
You just need to be accepted for who you are and be proud of who you are and that is what I'm trying to do.
Tupac is my favorite artist, and he had mad style.
As a driver, you've always got to believe in your heart that you've got what it takes to win it. You've always got to believe in yourself. You've always got to arrive on the day and believe it can happen. You've always got to believe in the positives.
I'm an extremist so I'm either hated or loved. I think it's down to when I first got to Formula One not always knowing what I was saying, saying things that mean one thing but people were taking the other way and then people don't forget.
Everyone loves a winner. That's just how the world is. And Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest winners this sport has ever had.
The way I drive, the way I handle a car, is an expression of my inner feelings.
You can knock me down, but I get up twice as strong.
I don't aspire to be like other drivers - I aspire to be unique in my own way.
When you get out of the car after the feeling that you have after leading the race, and the car fails, it's pretty hard to say positive things all the time.
I feel like people are expecting me to fail; therefore, I expect myself to win.
Whether it's with my engineers in the team, my home life, or my friends, I don't like things to get complicated - and one good example would be the steering wheel in my Mercedes Formula 1 car.
It's important for everyone to stand up for what they believe in.
I have always wanted to learn the piano, but because I travel so much, I can never get any consistency of lessons. So everywhere I go, if I can find a piano, even if it is in the lobby of a hotel or something, I go on YouTube and pick some songs to learn.
I enjoy trying to develop a car and Mercedes are one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world.
When I was younger, all of my family's money went into racing. We were never a stylish family. We never went shopping, because all the money went into buying tires and fuel and all of that.
When I was a kid and Christmas was coming up, my dad would ask me what I wanted, and I always said a motorbike. I kept asking for one, and he said it was too dangerous and bought me a go-kart instead.
I think my style is definitely urban chic. I love mixing street style with the high-end luxury brands, like Gucci, for example. Quite fun.
My immediate family are from the West Indies - from Trinidad and Grenada - and I have relatives all over the Caribbean.
People might not know, but F1 drivers have new helmets made throughout the season. Usually, the design is the same, but I like to do something special for Monaco.
It's a pretty cool feeling to be the person to knock down a barrier - just like the Williams sisters did in tennis or Tiger Woods in golf.
What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to learn about losing and having bad races.
I like taking risks. I like trying new things, whether it be style or restaurants or whatever.
People say I have an aggressive style, and sometimes I don't think that is all just me. I think it's partly because I watched Senna when I was young, and I thought, 'This is how I want to drive when I get the opportunity.'
Formula 1 is about running to the maximum.
Racing is what I love, so it's pretty simple. I want to keep doing it and keep winning.
On my back, I have the cross and angel wings: rise above it, no matter what life throws at you. And also, you know, Jesus rose from the grave.
F1 is about the best drivers competing against each other for the best teams producing the best cars they can.
Everyone has complicated lives, but the more you can simplify it and make it work for you, the better it is going to be.
I get kids from all different cultures and nationalities coming up to me now, all wanting to be F1 drivers. They feel the sport is open to everyone.
I don't drive by the seat of my pants and happen to win races. I work very hard to interpret the data and drive a certain way. My engineers have confidence in me, and more often than not, when I tell them what I need or what I am feeling with the car, it's right.
I relate my life a lot to 'Cool Runnings,' the movie.
When I was really young, I busted my nose when I was racing. The first thing my dad asked me was: 'Are you OK?' I said, 'Can you fix the car for tomorrow?' And I won the race the next day.
I'm willing to take any amount of pain to win.
Every person I have met who has gone vegan says it is the best decision they have ever made.
Equalising performance between teams runs completely counter to the idea of F1 and would be very unfair for us.
My job is to get into the car and drive as fast and as well as possible.
I train to quite an intense level because Formula 1 is so physical - the G-forces, the demands on your body. Your heart rate is 150, 160 through the whole race. On qualifying lap, your heart rate can be up to 180, 190, under tough conditions.
There are times when you are growing through experiences, but sometimes there is a point of diminishing returns in terms of growth.
All in all, racing with lift and coast is actually harder.
I usually sleep four or five hours, but when you are training, you need more than that.
I listen to music before every race. Generally, there will be a song I'll get into over the weekend, and I play it all weekend, particularly when I'm getting ready for a race.
I'm happy to race against anyone.
I had a lot of racism growing up where I grew up. Bullied at school. It definitely encouraged me. It's like battle wounds - you come out the other side, and it just makes you tougher.
I'm just super competitive. Squash, tennis, water skiing, computer games... Even if I played you at pool, I'd have to win.
I feel equal to Mexicans, Asians, everyone. That's the kind of positive message I want to get out.
It is open for anyone to have freedom of speech, and I guess we can all play a role in trying to make a difference in the world. Particularly if your leader is not helping in that area.
People need to remember that I am the first black driver in F1, so I am obviously going to be different to past drivers.
I'm keen on hiking. And in Monaco, I also like water skiing, wakeboarding, and jet-skiing, which are all pretty good for your arms, legs, and core stability.
Nothing can really prepare you for when you get in the Formula One car. Knowing that you're driving a multimillion-dollar car, and if you crash it it's going to cost a lot of money, and they might not give you another chance, is scary.
Lots of other drivers like cycling, but I'm not so keen. I have some really cool bikes, but I'm just not in love with it like Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.
It doesn't matter what famous person I've come across in the street, I don't think I've ever shouted.
I love it in the States. The roads are big, the food is big. If it was possible to be in L.A. and still live my racing life, I would move now.
We have to be extremely fit to race in F1.
When I think about greatness I just know Ayrton Senna. He was great.
I don't believe I have a playboy life.
Sometimes, I arrive at races more energetic and clear-minded than ever, and then I have a terrible race. And the opposite is also true.
Fashion is a growing love that probably started when I got into my 20s.
I started watching Formula 1 with my dad when I was just four or five years old. I loved cars.
I think every single win, every single pole has felt new and different in its own way. I've not got bored of it.
Every lap is different.
The Hamilton name will live on way beyond me now, which I'm very happy to be a part of.
When you're driving on a normal track, you can see the braking point from 500 m. away.
Ayrton Senna was an incredible legend who will be remembered and admired forever.
Despite the name, 'lift and coast' does not mean cruising. You're trying to be as fast as you can, and you're still going through the corner on the limit, but you have to approach the corner slightly differently; otherwise, you won't make the end of the race.
You save most fuel by lifting and coasting in the heavy braking zones at the end of long straights into slow corners.
When I first started in Formula 1, I tried to ignore the fact I was the first black guy ever to race in the sport. But, as I've got older, I've really started to appreciate the implications.
I am a motorbike fanatic - always have been. It's actually what I wanted to do before I got into motor racing.
Music's been a huge passion of mine since I was really young. I started playing guitar when I was thirteen.
Each championship has felt different in its own way, I guess because I've been in different place of my life; I've gone through different things.
Number one is a great thing, and I'll always know that I'm number one, but 44 is my favourite number, so I want to keep it on the car.
I love all of the Marvel comics movies.
When I'm driving, the fewer distractions there are, the better it is to focus on the job in hand.
My dad wanted me to have a better life than he had ever had. He wanted us to succeed so badly. And I never wanted to let him down.
Working with kids is something I really enjoy doing - that's why I also do work with UNICEF.
Sometimes it takes time to find people in the sport who share the same opinions and approach to racing as me.
I hate losing. It doesn't matter if it's racing or playing Ping-Pong - I hate it.
I have spent a lot of time in Italy throughout my career - especially when I was karting, because it's kind of the world centre of that sport - and I love it.
My daily breakfast is two poached eggs in the morning with half an avocado, and I get to have half a piece of toast.
When I was a kid, I used to play a game called 'Grand Prix Two.' Interlagos was always the first race of the season on that, and I never really got much past the second race. I would always restart the season, so I always seemed to be doing Interlagos - it was a real pain!
Since I started driving in F1 in 2006-07, the cars have got slower and easier to drive.
I'm definitely conscious of time. I already waste so much of it, just on a flight. I look back to when I was 13, and I wish I had stuck with my piano studies.
I love my ink. They all have a meaning. I'm very strong in my faith, so I wanted to have some religious images. I've got Pieta, a Michelangelo sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after he came off the cross, on my shoulder. A sacred heart on my arm. Musical notes because I love music. The compass on my chest is there because church is my compass.
There have been some ups and downs. I've not always had it my own way. That's the way racing is supposed to be.
I think it's a shame that people are so quick to put you in a box; sometimes it's as if you do one thing, and that's all you're allowed to do.
If I'd won every single race and got pole everywhere, that would just be boring. It would suck. Where's the fun in that?
I really like to play to squash, because it's competitive, and I like basketball. I'm friends with a guy in L.A. called Andrew Bynum, who used to play for the L.A. Lakers NBA team. We play together sometimes.
Generally, I hate training - just like most people, I guess. I try to make it fun and varied.
I don't think you can fully call yourself a vegan if you wear leathers.
A couple of my mechanics have become vegan because I've done it. One of my barbers, too.
Formula 1 is the sort of place where people tend to have an opinion about everything, and usually, they tend to believe their own opinion is the right one, even if it relates to someone else.
If I don't travel, if I stay at home for a week, I would go out of my mind. That is just the way I am. I love to be on the move, and I am fortunate that I have friends all over the world.
Racing is very physical.
I certainly lead a different life from many people. I have a great life that I am thankful for, and I like travelling.
It takes me forever to read a book. I have such a small attention span.
If Ferrari wanted me, they would have approached me. I want to work with people who want me. If they don't want me, it is no problem.
I like wearing things that other people wouldn't want to wear, to be a bit edgy.
I started playing guitar when I was 13. I'd written a few songs on the guitar over some time. I'd written a book of poetry, and I got a book of lyrics that I had when I was a kid.
I genuinely have always had support from all of my team. I have never had any complaints from them.
Ayrton Senna was my favorite driver who I wanted to be like.
I would love to one day have my own line of clothes.