Lewis Hamilton hasn’t really arrived in this Formula 1 season yet. Before the Australian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver first wanted to clear his head while surfing – even though a shark was nearby.
Lewis Hamilton used the free time between the races in Saudi Arabia and Australia to pursue his hobby. “The gap was nice,” he confessed at the drivers’ press conference in Melbourne: “I came straight here from Malaysia on Sunday. I was down in Byron Bay, it was stunning, my new favorite place.”
The coastal city in south-eastern Australia is a popular holiday destination and above all a port of call for surfers. “I can’t wait to go back because I love surfing.”
Hamilton is so fond of water sports that he couldn’t stop himself from getting on a surfboard when sharks were spotted. “Although there was a shark,” he went surfing: “I was scared the whole time.”
Nevertheless, the Mercedes driver was ultimately able to “enjoy the weather” and complete “a really great training session”. “I arrived here freshly recovered,” he said.
Hamilton wants to end his career at Mercedes
The seven-time world champion has now put his surfboard aside and will be doing his first training laps in Melbourne from Friday morning (3:30 a.m., CET).
In Australia, the 38-year-old wants to finally get the curve with Mercedes and stand up to world champion Max Verstappen. However, Red Bull should also be the clear favorite in the third round of the World Championship.
Meanwhile, Hamilton, whose contract expires at the end of the season, said he wanted to stay with Mercedes “until my last days”. Hamilton has been driving for Mercedes since 2013, with the factory team he won six of his seven drivers’ titles.