Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is neither a rags to riches story nor it is something out of a Fairytale book. It is a story of a doting Father’s vision for his son and his out of the ordinary hardwork and sacrifice to turn this vision of his into reality.
Early Days
Born to Anthony Hamilton, a black IT Manager of Grenadian descent and Carmen Larbalestier, a white, Lewis’ early childhood was spent at Stevenage , Hertfordshire, England. However the going was not that smooth as his parents separated when he was just 2 years old. He lived with his mother and two older half sisters till he was 12, and then moved to live with his father, step mother and step brother.
The Struggle Begins
Right through Lewis’ childhood and formative years , Anthony Hamilton kept a tab on his son . He had a fair inkling that Lewis had something special in him. He bought him a radio controlled car when he was 5 and a go-kart when he was 6 . Anthony also made Lewis join a local racing club and promised to support his racing if he worked hard at school. Lewis did not disappoint his father and true to his word Anthony Hamilton went on supporting his talented son. Life at the racing club in particular was not easy for Lewis as he was time and again subjected to racial abuse due to the colour of his skin. But he and his father hung on gamely, soaking everything, never to dither from the focus of their lives.
To support his son’s fledgling racing career, Anthony Hamilton left his job as an IT Manager, and took up several employments at a time to generate as much income as possible. He worked as a contractor, salesman, dishwasher and put up signs for Real Estate Agents, all at the same time. He was working round the clock just to keep alive his vision to see his son one day become a successful racing driver. Lewis was well aware of what his father was doing for him and he too kept the fire burning . He worked hard at his racing and started making heads turn. He also kept his education going and attended College at Cambridge Arts and Science .
Father’s sacrifice bears fruit
All the pain and hardwork eventually paid off and in 2007 at the age of 22, Lewis Hamilton became the first black driver to race Formula 1 cars, considered to be the pinnacle in the sport of car racing. Anthony Hamilton’s years and years of struggle and sacrifice had borne fruit and his vision for his son had indeed turned into reality.
Lewis Hamilton after making his debut in Formula 1 car racing has dominated the sport akin to Micheal Schumacher. And today after 14 years , Lewis Hamilton sits at the top of the peak jointly tied with Micheal Schumacher for the most World Championship Titles. Is he the best ever, may be a topic of debate, but there is absolutely no doubt that Lewis Hamilton, the first and the only black Formula 1 driver till date, has achieved his father’s dream .
Coming from humble beginnings, Lewis Hamilton is also trying to give something back to society. He has a high vocal stand on issues relating to racism, inequality, human rights, environment and animal rights and is very actively involved with UNICEF since 2012. His exploits on the racing track and his commendable work off it, has earned Lewis Hamilton his Knighthood , at the age of 36 only.
It would be fare to say , that ‘ Behind every successful man , there is sometimes…a Father too ‘.