Hamilton reveals father’s guidance that shaped his F1 championship career

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton reveals father’s guidance that shaped his F1 championship career

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time world champion

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Thursday 23 April 2026 23:00

Lewis Hamilton has opened up about an important lesson from his father, Anthony Hamilton, which played a major role in shaping his path to becoming a multiple-time world champion.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history, Hamilton shares the record for most world titles while also holding the outright records for race wins, pole positions, and podium finishes.

Much of that success came during his dominant spell with Mercedes between 2013 and 2024, and he is now continuing his career with Ferrari as he pursues an eighth championship.

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Now, as he chases more records, Hamilton has revealed the resilience and determination from his father Anthony Hamilton that has spurred him on in his career.

Hamilton and his father share a close relationship, and Hamilton junior has previously spoken about the sacrifices that his father had to make in order to get the Brit to where he is today.

"I remember when I was a child, whenever I said 'I can’t do this,' my father would immediately stop me," Hamilton revealed in an interview with AnOther magazine. "He’d say: 'Never let that word be in your vocabulary. You might not be able to do it now, but if you work at it, eventually you will.'"

Hamilton career petering out?

At 41 years of age, he is now at the stage where every season might turn out to be his last, and the Brit is desperately trying to add to his race victories record before he retires.

Despite driver performance issues since joining Ferrari which meant that he finished 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in his first season, Hamilton recently admitted that he works harder than all of his rivals, revealing a gruelling training regime in a recent interview.

The seven-time champion has had a much stronger start to 2026, banishing his Ferrari grand prix podium hoodoo at the recent Chinese Grand Prix, and sitting up in fourth in the drivers' championship.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Anthony Hamilton