Berlin (dpa) – From the point of view of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the experiences with racism in childhood are still a major cause of the ambition of Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The 49-year-old Austrian said in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. “As a child he was insulted on the go-kart track, white parents forbade their children to interact with him, that definitely left big scars on him too,” said Wolff.
“For him, racing was the valve to show everyone, and it still is.” Wolff reported that both had been talking to each other about the topic for many years and had a very high level of resilience due to their experiences. “This means we are in our comfort zone when things get tough, that’s where we work. If you come from an emotional Siberia, it’s nice all over the world.”
Hamilton is the record world champion with seven titles together with Michael Schumacher. The 37-year-old Briton missed the eighth title a few weeks ago just before the end of the dramatic final race in Abu Dhabi against the Dutchman Max Verstappen. On Friday afterwards, the constructors’ title was celebrated with Hamilton and the outgoing Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas in the works in England with all teammates. “It was very nice. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the events in Abu Dhabi,” said Wolff. But these would be converted into additional drive for the next season.
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