Lewis Hamilton, five times F1 world championship, expressed respect to his late grandfather, who passed away on Thursday.
Davidson Hamilton, the godfather of the family, died four days before Mexican GP where Lewis Hamilton clinched his fifth F1 title.
It was a “really difficult weekend” for Hamilton and it reminded 33-year-old of the sacrifices that his family had made to fulfill his dream of becoming F1 driver.
“I’ll never forget the things he did for me to be here,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is the first African-Caribbean to race for Formula 1 and his ancestor still resides in Grenada.
“Dad and I have always been close but it naturally brought us a little bit closer,” Hamilton said.
“I really do aspire to be like him, as a man, as a strong black man, as a father and as a human being, doing what he did with the difficult times and the little he had.
“That is testament to where we are. All that work he put in, our grandfather would be so proud of him, so proud of us, and grateful the Hamilton name is there, established and will go down now in history, which is kind of crazy to think.”
Hamilton paid tribute to his father Anthony who helped him start his career in Karting at Stevenage, Hertfordshire. McLaren team later provided opportunity to him to grow at the age of 11.
He said that support was “at the centre of who I am”.
Hamilton added: “My dad was the only father who would go out on track and he would go and stand where the quicker kid was braking, who was a kid called Niki Richardson.
“As an eight-year-old, I looked up to him. He was so quick and I had to be better than him somehow.
“[Dad] would go out where he was braking, move several metres down and say: ‘This is where you have to brake.’
“I would try. I’d spin off and crash, and then eventually I could do it. Those core moments are what I fight with today.”
Hamilton paid homage to his Mercedes team, who have been the integral part of his victories.
He said, “These guys in the garage have just been flawless every single weekend, with our pit stops, with our decision-making in the background, strategy and set-up. That’s been key.
“You’ve got to work with the team, to help unleash what’s great within them so that you can unleash the greatness in yourself.”
