Lewis Hamilton has hit back at “old, white men” such as Bernie Ecclestone and Eddie Jordan following recent criticism of his move to Ferrari, saying he “welcomes the negativity” as he prepares to embark on a new chapter in Italy.
In a wide-ranging interview for the March issue of Time magazine – which features on its “Horse Power” front cover a white-suited Hamilton standing in front of a black stallion named Aroma, recreating the iconic Ferrari prancing horse – Hamilton discusses his career, the reasons behind his move to Maranello and his mission to introduce greater diversity at the Italian team.
Hamilton argued that no one could put themselves in his shoes as there had never been anyone like him.
“Don’t ever compare me to anybody else,” Hamilton said. “I’m the first and only black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had my own journey. You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old, past or present, Formula One driver in history. Because they are nothing like me. I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids. I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning. That’s my No 1 priority.”
Hamilton endured a difficult spell at previous team Mercedes after losing out on what would have been a record eighth world title in 2021 on the final lap of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, in what was one of the biggest controversies in modern F1. The Briton’s emotional win at Silverstone last summer was his first for 945 days.
However, he insists he is “more motivated than ever” to win an eighth title and told Time he could race on at Ferrari “until he is 50” given the way he is feeling now.
Hamilton dismissed criticism from the wider racing community. Former F1 chief executive Ecclestone told Telegraph Sport recently that Hamilton would “not last two seasons” in Italy, questioning his motivation and predicting he would be walking into a hostile environment.
“I don’t think Lewis will get the same attention at Ferrari,” Ecclestone said. “Firstly, the team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Leclerc speaks their language [he’s fluent in Italian], so they’ll be looking after him. Even if Lewis does well, there’ll still be a lot of enemies, because he has suddenly arrived.”
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, meanwhile, said on a podcast in December that it was “absolutely suicidal” for Ferrari to drop Carlos Sainz from its line-up as they were so well-matched.
“I’ve always welcomed the negativity,” Hamilton said when asked about his doubters. “I never, ever reply to any of the older, ultimately, white men who have commented on my career and what they think I should be doing. How you show up, how you present yourself, how you perform slowly dispels that.”
Hamilton, who topped the time-sheets on the second morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Thursday, admitted he did have some apprehensions about moving to Ferrari, where diversity and inclusion is not as advanced as it is at Mercedes, thanks largely to his efforts over the last decade.
He admitted that he had heard the racist chants directed at black footballers in Italy. “I’m not going to lie, it definitely crossed my mind when I was thinking about my decision,” he said. “Like in so many things, it’s often such a small group of people that set that trend for many. I don’t think that it’s going to be a problem.”
