adminLONDON. — Lewis Hamilton is the British Grand Prix’s most modern home-made hero. This was clear when he claimed his third British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. But he is also a global icon and a happy man of the world.
Clearly comfortable with his status as a double world champion, he revels in his connection with Britain’s younger generation of sports fans as much as he enjoys the trappings of fame and fortune.
After several years of occasional public tantrums and impetuous reactions, the 30-year-old Englishman appears to have found himself.
He seems to be at ease with life as he races with unprecedented speed, elan and control and, between Grands Prix, flies from one red carpet to the next.
From Cannes to Glastonbury and Manhattan to some of the Mediterranean’s most glamorous resorts via various recording studios and film sets, Hamilton has indulged in what he concedes is a “rock ‘n roll lifestyle”.
“Yes, I’m living my dream,” he said. “I love it and I want to do it now because you never know if you will have the opportunity again if you don’t take it. So, yes, I’m on a lot of planes and I’m in a lot of hotels!”
His flamboyance, in appearance and lifestyle, is approved of by some including F1’s long-serving ring-master Bernie Ecclestone, 84, but questioned by others, including another fellow-British world champion Damon Hill.
Hamilton cares not a jot.
He has retained his connection with his fans in Britain and beyond, giving Formula One a marketing platform that Ecclestone appreciates. At Silverstone, he feels the support gives him energy.
His ongoing success — he leads Rosberg by 17 points in the championship — has been built from experiences, public and private, that have given him a sense of balance and mental strength this year.
Most notably, he responded following the end of his long-term romance with American singer Nicole Scherzinger by starting this season in a positive and successful mood.
“I don’t really know how I’ve done that,” he said. — AFP.
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