"Well done dad": Lewis Hamilton’s father praised by former F1 champion for their perseverance during a difficult spell

1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill congratulated Lewis Hamilton for his record-breaking victory at the 2024 F1 British Grand Prix. He also appreciated his dad for his efforts to help his son succeed in his racing career.

Lewis Hamilton won the British GP for a staggering ninth time. This set a new F1 record for most wins at a single track and also the most wins at a home race. The earlier record was held by Michael Schumacher with 8 wins in France and Hungary.

This was also Hamilton's first win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. As such, he was seen sharing emotional moments with his crewmates and his father, Anthony Hamilton. A lot of credit goes to Anthony for helping Lewis launch his racing career at a young age. Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 champion, mentioned this moment in his X post. He wrote:

"I feel so privileged to have seen this story from very early days. Today was the culmination of a lot of blood sweat and tears. Amazing. So happy. What a great thing to see the return of the GOAT. Well done Dad 👏🏼✌🏻 #f1"

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How did Lewis Hamilton's father help him pursue racing?

The 39-year-old Lewis Hamilton comes from a working family. The numerous expenditures required to even qualify for an entry-level racing championship have made racing a costly endeavor. Moreover, the training also requires a lot of capital.

Anthony Hamilton worked multiple jobs and tried to save as much money as he could to help Lewis build his career. As a matter of fact, his father made him experience his first racing competition. Back in 1988, Anthony took Lewis to a karting race track in Ibiza when they were on a trip. Hamilton once revealed that his father worked 4 jobs to help him pursue racing.

Anthony even worked as Lewis's manager early in his F1 career. Lewis debuted with McLaren in 2007, and his father served as his manager until 2010. However, he decided to part ways with him professionally because he wanted to make his own decisions. He revealed in a podcast in 2023:

"I decided to part ways with my dad to make decisions for myself," Lewis Hamilton said. “There was a period where we spoke less. I really just wanted him to be my dad. Let’s go and have fun, let’s laugh. We hadn’t had that for a long, long time."

Lewis Hamilton and his father are close. Anthony is regularly seen in the Mercedes garage, spectating his son's racing with extreme attention. He is also there during all of his celebrations.