Lewis Hamilton’s childhood interview resurfaces, offering a glimpse into the making of an F1 champion
BBC Radio 2 has brought back to light a charming and revealing interview with a 12-year-old Lewis Hamilton, offering fans a rare look at the mindset of the young talent long before he became one of Formula 1’s biggest icons. The recording shows how early his fascination with speed, racing, and competition truly began, and how the foundations of the driver we know today were already taking shape.
In the interview, a young Lewis Hamilton expressed that his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver came from the sheer excitement of speed. He explained that watching cars on television couldn’t compare to experiencing them in person, recalling a trip to Belgium where the intensity and velocity of F1 machinery left a lasting impression on him. He described imagining what it must feel like to control that level of power, already visualising himself inside a Grand Prix cockpit.
The young Lewis Hamilton also shared an amusing early memory from karting: his first attempt at spraying a champagne bottle during a podium celebration. Without knowing the proper technique, he simply shook the bottle with no result, leaving the moment more awkward than triumphant. He laughed about how nobody had shown him what to do, but like everything in racing, he learned quickly.
However, the interview also highlighted the tougher side of his early years in motorsport. Lewis Hamilton spoke candidly about hearing racist insults at the track as a child. He admitted that the first incidents left him deeply hurt and unsure how to respond. With time, though, he developed the resilience that would define his career—choosing to ignore the insults and answer through his performance on the circuit. That mentality, even at such a young age, foreshadowed the determination and mental strength that later helped him navigate the highest levels of Formula 1.
The re-aired interview serves as a reminder of how long Lewis Hamilton’s journey has been and how focused he was even before reaching his teenage years. Fans listening today can clearly hear early echoes of the seven-time World Champion: a young boy driven by passion, grounded by experience, and already shaped by adversity. It is a charming and powerful snapshot of the Ferrari driver.
From 1998 to 2025: The dream never changed
Listening back now, with Lewis Hamilton chasing an unprecedented eighth world title in a scarlet Ferrari, it’s almost eerie how little the core of the boy has changed. The hunger for speed, the refusal to let hate slow him down, even the cheeky champagne confusion – everything that made Lewis Hamilton the driver and the man was already there at 12 years old.
As the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix weekend approaches and Lewis Hamilton prepares to face the media once again (this time at 18:00 local on Thursday), it’s worth remembering the kid who first told the world exactly why he belonged in Formula 1. He was right. It really does have a lot of speed in it – and nobody has handled that speed quite like Sir Lewis Hamilton.
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