'I look at it every day' - Lewis Hamilton's F1 love affair, how it all started

Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony Hamilton has taken to social media to showcase where it all began for the F1 legend.

Hamilton is now 41 years of age, and is the most successful racer in F1 history, leading the way for the number of race wins, podiums and pole positions, as well as holding the joint record for the number of world championships (seven) achieved in F1.

He joined the sport back in 2007 after winning the GP2 title in 2006, but his racing exploits started way before that, with his father overseeing a hugely successful karting career for the boy from Stevenage.

But now Anthony Hamilton has gone even further back than that, in a post on his Instagram page.

Hamilton senior has posted a picture of a beaten up remote controlled car, which he says belonged to Lewis when he was just five years old.

In an emotional post, Hamilton's dad wrote: "I have this in my office at home and look at it every day. This is the original remote controlled car that started this journey in 1990 when Lewis was five years old.

"You might be able to spot a broken wheel… this was when I decided to buy him a bigger remote controlled car… that’s when the real story began."

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A post shared by @anthony_hamilton_44

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Hamilton looking to bounce back in 2026

After 19 great years in F1, there is every chance that we are witnessing the beginning of the end for Hamilton's time in the sport.

He is now 41 years of age, and his 2025 season was underwhelming, as the Brit finished sixth in the drivers' championship.

2025 was the first year of Hamilton's new partnership with Ferrari, but he finished 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, and is set to be out of contract at the end of the 2026 season.

Nevertheless, Hamilton will be hopeful that 2026 can see a turnaround in his fortunes, with new regulations sweeping into the sport that could see Ferrari able to give him and Leclerc better machinery.

On top of this, the car designs are going to be so different that there's no telling which drivers will suit the new generation of cars. They could well be more suited to Hamilton's supreme talents than the ground effect cars, which were in place between 2022-2025 and saw Hamilton only pick up two grand prix victories across four seasons.

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