F1 legend Lewis Hamilton admits 'I shed a tear' as long wait for success finally ends

Lewis Hamilton

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton admits 'I shed a tear' as long wait for success finally ends

Hamilton waited 22 years and the tears flowed

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Saturday 23 May 2026 10:57

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F1 legend Lewis Hamilton admits he was overcome by emotion when his beloved Arsenal finally ended their 22-year wait for another Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta's team claimed the championship on Tuesday night when nearest rivals Manchester City drew 1-1 in their penultimate game with Bournemouth.

That result meant the Gunners could no longer be caught at the top, and are champions for the first time since the days of Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry and 'The Invincibles' back in 2004.

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Hamilton, now in Montreal to prepare for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix with Ferrari, spoke at length with media about what the success meant to him, and the emotion it provoked.

Hamilton emotional after Arsenal title success

"I think like for everyone, very emotional," the seven-time world champion admitted.

"I shed a tear, to be honest, because I remember I was five years old and I used to play in the local Stevenage, Peartree Way, used to play around the corner football with friends. And I was the only black kid in the area, and out of the people that I was playing with, I remember trying to fit in and all of them supported different, West Ham and Tottenham and Manchester.

"So, I was bouncing between all these when I was like four or five years old, depending on who I was with. And my sister, I remember exactly, I messaged her the other day, she was walking me home and she asked me what team I supported, and she gave me a dead arm. But then, you know, she gave me a little dig in my arm and said, 'You have to support Arsenal'.

"So, we had a laugh yesterday about it. But we’ve had so many near close moments, and to finally get it, it was wow.

"A lot of emotion came up for me, as I’m sure for so many people. I’m just so happy and proud of the team. And obviously Arsenal was great. I think the direction they’ve gone in the past couple of years has been just fantastic. So very inspired by what they’ve done, really proud of the team, and I think they can go from strength to strength from here and only get stronger."

Hamilton is a team leader as well

Hamilton of course has to lead his own Ferrari outfit into action in Montreal this weekend, and he says he does look at other sports and teams for example of how to fashion a successful group. He confirmed during the same media session that he is under contract for 2027 and will remain in Maranello.

"In terms of my time with my team, yeah, I’m always looking for other leaders that are doing great things and how they work with teams. I’m always trying to learn how I can be a better colleague, a better team-mate to the people around me, how I can extract more from myself but also from the people, from the groups that I get to work with.

"Because teamwork really does make the dream work. It’s a real thing. And when you have a huge group of people, there are so many different energies and you have to be quite dynamic to be able to integrate into those different sections. But I feel like we’re in a really good place.

"I’m in a good place with my team. There’s always going to be teething issues and stuff that you always have to work on. But yeah, I’m really happy."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Canadian Grand Prix