F1 legend Lewis Hamilton snoozes through emergency landing... after 'partying' too hard

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Australia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off the Track

Hamilton snoozes through emergency landing... after 'partying' too hard

David Coulthard has gone behind the scenes on a Lewis Hamilton feature

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 1 April 2025 09:12 Updated: 11:16

Ex-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has claimed that Lewis Hamilton slept through a helicopter emergency, and suggested it was because he was out ‘partying’ the night before.

According to the former McLaren driver the incident took place 12 years ago during the filming of a feature, including Hamilton, for the BBC, after bad weather forced the aircraft to stage an emergency landing.

"Red Arrows, which is our display team for the Royal Air Force, we went over to, I think it’s RAF Scampton, and I remember I picked up Lewis in a helicopter in Battersea, which is the only place you can land a helicopter in London," Coulthard said to The Sun.

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"And anyway, we took off from Battersea, I sat in the front with the pilot, Lewis was in the back, and he fell asleep."

Hamilton caught napping by Coulthard

However, when presenting the reason for Hamilton’s nap, Coulthard suggested that the champion had been out partying the night before as he continued to describe the incident.

"He must have been either out partying or whatever the night before," Coulthard added.

"And we hit fog on the way to the airfield, and we basically had to put down in a field, in a cornfield, because they knew there was big wind generators between Battersea and getting to the airfield, and we sat there probably for a good 45 minutes. The whole time Lewis is asleep!

"We eventually take off. We eventually turn up at the airfield, late. There wasn’t any fog, and then we got to go up with the RAF together, and then he drove his Formula 1 car in a sort of shootout along the runway."

"I have a picture in my office wall here, actually, where I’m in the jet fighter, and he is in the Formula 1 car. It was just a fun experience. It was a great feature."

40-year-old Hamilton's celebrity status transcends F1, with the icon also enjoying an active role in fashion with collaborations with brands such as Dior and Tommy Hilfiger.

Hamilton is even set to co-chair the Met Gala in 2025, after making several appearances over the years at the major event on the celebrity calendar.

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