Lewis Hamilton shares touching story of getting his first go-kart

Lewis Hamilton shared a touching story from when he received his first go-kart. The Briton revealed that he was gifted his first go-kart by his father as a child, adding that he knew "he was meant to do this" from the very first time he got to drive it.

The seven-time world champion also revealed a funny moment, saying he had already checked the contents of the kart wrapped in gifting paper in his living room and pretended to be surprised when he opened it in front of his family.

Since then, the boy from Stevenage has gone on to win most junior categories and seven world titles in F1, equalling the great Michael Schumacher.

In an emotional message on Instagram, Lewis Hamilton said:

"I remember how excited I was when I saw my first go kart wrapped up in my living room. I saw it before I was supposed to and had to act all surprised when my parents called me in to open it. Even walked in with my back turned to it and acted like it wasn’t there."

He added:

"From the very first time I got to drive it, I felt at one. I knew I was meant to do this. I knew I was powerful. More powerful and hungrier than other kids. That hunger was there from day one and it’s still here today. I was hungry then, so much hungrier now."

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Lewis Hamilton praised by former Red Bull driver David Coulthard

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard praised Lewis Hamilton for his mature behavior after the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. The Briton was denied a record-breaking eighth title win by Max Verstappen on the final lap of the race at Yas Marina.

Hamilton was en route to breaking Michael Schumacher's title record in 2021 when a controversial late safety car allowed Verstappen to take his first title in the sport. While the conditions under which the Dutchman won the title were controversial, former F1 driver Coulthard lauded Hamilton's maturity in the face of adversity.

The Scotsman, however, suspected that a younger Lewis Hamilton might have handled the situation differently and claimed that the Briton's maturity was probably a result of his vast experience in the sport.

Speaking at a Red Bull event in Dublin, Coulthard said:

“The way Lewis handled it was fantastic. Maybe when he was younger, it would have been more difficult to do that. But he’s in his late 30s, he’s done a few laps, and I think with age comes maturity."

"The benefit of youth is you don’t know, so you’re not scared of anything. As you get older, you obviously start to understand consequences and things like that. But that maturity I think enables you to deal with different situations.”

It will be interesting to see if the relationship between Hamilton and Red Bull improves over the coming years. However, with Mercedes touted to be one of the front runners in the upcoming season, any kind of cordial relationship between the two seems unlikely.