Lewis Hamilton opened up about a very traumatic time during his karting days after Jules Bianchi's devastating accident in 2014

Lewis Hamilton claimed that Jules Bianchi's tragic death at the 2014 Japanese GP reminded him of the loss of his former karting opponent Daniel Spence. Spence succumbed to head injuries after a kart landed on top of him back in 1994.

While modern F1 is undoubtedly safer than it used to be, there is no denying the incredible risk that comes with driving a car at speeds in excess of 200 mph around a track. Lewis Hamilton has had his fair share of accidents in the sport and has seen the death of his former karting opponent Daniel Spence, who tragically passed away in a karting accident at the age of nine in 1994.

The Briton went on record to say that Jules Bianchi's horrific accident at the 2014 Japanese GP reminded him of the trauma of attending Spence's funeral at a tender age.

Speaking in his BBC column back in 2014, Lewis Hamilton said:

"Even now I can remember standing on the bank beside a track with him with our suits on just before a race, all laughing and joking, and then the next thing I knew I was at his funeral. It was the first time I had ever been to one. It is very hard to put that out of my mind at the moment, after what happened to Jules."

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Lewis Hamilton understands why he is Max Verstappen's 'target'

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton claims that he is Max Verstappen's 'target' due to the success the Briton has enjoyed since 2014. The 2021 championship rivals barely fought it out in 2022, but infamously collided at the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP. Hamilton is sympathetic towards Verstappen's mentality, claiming he had a similar mindset when he entered Formula 1 back in 2007.

The Briton had the worst season of his career since his debut, having not won a single race in 2022. Just around 14 months ago, the pair were battling it out in the closing stages of the 2021 season, highlighting Mercedes' dramatic fall from grace. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, had his most successful season yet, rewriting the record books with 15 wins in 2022.

Lewis Hamilton explained Max Verstappen's 'target' mentality to British broadcaster Channel 4, saying:

"Then also just look back at the way those individuals behave on track around me [and it] kind of shows that it is a little bit different to others. I can't explain fully exactly why [that is], but it is in part for sure to do with the time I've had in [in F1] and the success I've had."

Lewis Hamilton continued:

"I know because I remember when I got into F1 [in 2007], that the target was someone else who had had the success and my goal was to challenge them. You almost wanted to show how tough you were, you always wanted to show how good you were compared to that person."

With Mercedes touted to be title contenders this year, it will be interesting to see whether the two mammoths of the sport go head-to-head once again soon.