The Lewis Way

Conversations you don’t expect to be having no:99, discussing the original ‘Dune’ movie, with Lewis Hamilton. “A genius and so far ahead of his time,” he says of the film’s director, the late David Lynch. “People must have thought he was nuts.”

Then again, Lewis Hamilton is maybe not the guy you think he is. Some things we know for sure: he’s a British Knight of the realm, statistically the most successful ever driver in Formula One – 105 race wins and counting, 104 pole positions, and no less than seven World Championships. And he sent the motor racing world into a fever when he joined Scuderia Ferrari HP in 2025. Here were two of the biggest brands in global sport uniting, with the potential to kick-start once-in-a-generation possibilities.

But he’s also someone who has campaigned tirelessly for diversity and inclusion, is an advocate for change and positive thinking in an era when maintaining that kind of mind set is challenging to say the least. He’s a sporting megastar who has developed a clear capacity to see the ‘bigger picture’. Few, if any, Formula One drivers have cultivated such an array of important parallel activities, from fashion to film production, creative outlets that suggest a post-F1 after-life of unique amplitude. Hamilton has completely re-engineered the idea of what a racing driver can, and perhaps should, be.

A life-long Ferrari fan, his commitment to winning for the team is absolute. We meet inside the Scuderia at the Fiorano racetrack, away from the baking summer heat outside. He smiles, and asks how everyone is. The Hamilton handshake could crush gravel. He’s business-like but warm. He also exudes a charisma that’s practically visible.

“Ferrari is about history, the badge and what it symbolises”, says Lewis

Ferrari Magazine: How did it feel, that first moment you sat in the Ferrari SF-25?

Lewis Hamilton: Well, I’m in a different place in my life. I’m 40 now and I was 21 the first time I sat in an F1 car. To come from where I’ve come from, from watching F1 on TV, aspiring to race at the top level, to getting into an F1 car with the people around you, the mechanics and all the machinery… And then to be dropping myself into a red car 20 years later, it was a lot more emotional. When I was 21 it wasn’t an emotional thing, it was ‘exciting’, because everything was firing inside me. When you get in the Ferrari, it’s love. You make a different connection.

FM: In what way?

LH: It’s so special here. Red is one of my favourite colours. Ferrari is about history, the badge and what it symbolises. The cars are masterpieces. It’s the language, the culture, the food. It’s in how Italians express passion for everything. Over the years different cultures have got involved and they’ve pulled in people from all walks of life, but at its core Ferrari is Italian. I never thought I’d get a role here. I worried about the cultural differences, to be honest, but then you get here and everyone is clearly very open minded. Ultimately it’s human to human. When you create bridges, all the other stuff falls away.

FM: How does Scuderia Ferrari HP compare to other teams?

LH: The others are a bit less… colourful. They all have their qualities but Italians wear their emotions more obviously, for good and bad, but mostly for the good, I think. You see the passion every day, in the way Italians talk about food, for example. In England you don’t get excited talking about fish and chips, you know?

FM: Did you anticipate your signing for Ferrari to be as seismic a thing as it has turned out to be?

LH: I knew that aligning our brands would be big. But it still hits you and you’re like, “This is even more powerful than I imagined.” It’s beautiful and there have been plenty of positives, although a lot of responsibility and weight comes with it. Everyone expects to win straight away but ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’  (There is a pause). How long did it take? We’ll have to look that up.

'When you get in the Ferrari, it's love,' says Lewis. 'You make a different connection.' 

FM: Surely anyone who knows anything about how Formula One works knows that it takes time…

LH: …And that’s not many people. Only when you’re inside a team can you really, truly understand how it works and how F1 works. You can’t imagine how the machine really operates otherwise. I’ve been in F1 for so long, but when I came to this team it really was different again. (There is another pause). So I don’t blame people for not knowing. All I can do is continue to focus on the things that I can control. How I prepare, and work with the team. How I show up each day and stay positive.

FM: This year sees the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda’s first championship victory with Ferrari.
You became close to him. What influence did he have on you?

LH: When I got to F1, Niki was part of a world that couldn’t adapt to me being different, and I heard negative things, though I’d always had an admiration for him as a three-time world champion. He’s one of the true icons of our sport. Then he’s on the phone telling me why I should come to the team [Mercedes], and then when we finally met we had a really good conversation. He said, “You’re just like me, you’re a racer to the core.” It wasn’t until we had that meeting that those barriers came down, that the stereotyped view he may have had was dealt with. After that we would travel to races together and he’d fly us places all the time.

FM: Did you educate him?

LH: I think we educated each other. He had the best stories, and we used to laugh so much together. And he was a fighter, literally until his last breath. It was unbelievable for me to see how hard he fought. We’d send video messages to each other, and right to the end he was fighting, saying “I’m coming back…” I loved him for that.

FM: As an F1 driver is it helpful to have a knowledge of the history of the sport?

LH: Knowledge is power. So I certainly don’t think it’s a disadvantage. Someone like Seb [Vettel] knows the history of F1 way more than me. Growing up it was cars in general but there are lots of other things I was passionate about. Music has always been a big passion. Anything creative is an escape. I design most of the clothes I wear.

Lewis Hamilton wears a Ferrari SS26 double-breasted suit crafted in delavé linen twill, paired with a lightweight knitwear top underneath

FM: What do you say to those who suggest that this extra-curricular stuff is a distraction?

LH: It’s not a question of distraction. Everyone can get distracted, one way or another. It’s about how you decide to deploy your energy and create a sense of balance. You’ve got to have a creative balance, you can’t just work every hour of your life because you’ll be miserable. How do you find things that inspire you and keep you uplifted? Tapping into your creativity is one way.

FM: Your Mission 44 Foundation is continuing to promote diversity and improve education and opportunities in schools. Are you happy with the progress that’s being made?

LH: The work never stops. (He pauses). I was fortunate to meet Nelson Mandela. He was pushing and fighting for others until his last day. Lead with intention. Don’t lower yourself to some of the levels that some people like to stoop to. Like Michelle Obama said, “They go low, we go high”. Every meeting I have with a potential partner, I ask what they’re doing about impact. It will be a challenge as long as I live and there will be other fights along the way, too.

FM: You’ve also set up a film production company, Dawn Apollo Films. It’s up there with the big guns on ‘F1: The Movie’. Congratulations…

LH: Thank you. I’m so happy with it… To have real involvement in the film and to be able to engage so fully in the process was crazy. Joe [Kosinski, the film’s director] came to me and said, “I’m thinking about doing this movie, I would love to get Brad Pitt.” We didn’t have him at that point. And I helped bridge some gaps and be part of it to the point where the end credits roll. I spent time in the edit and watched sections of the film on my laptop and sent notes. I met with Hans Zimmer in his amazing studio in Santa Monica. What a four years it’s been, and what a privilege.

FM: Do you have a full slate of upcoming projects?

LH: We have some ideas. I’m in the process of figuring it out but storytelling is something I’m really passionate about. More than ever, we need inspirational stories out there, given the dark times we live in. I love comedy and I’ve got a particular idea for a television show. I’m working on a couple of animation movie ideas, and we’re getting sent so much stuff since the F1 movie happened it’s crazy. But it’s not about doing lots and lots of projects, it’s more like Quentin Tarantino does it, quality rather than quantity.