It would be strange to know that F1 drivers believe in superstitions. But, many drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Alberto Ascari, and even Michael Schumacher had their superstitious peeves, which they believed helped them on track. Lewis Hamilton, the man with 103 race wins under his belt, also had one such superstition. However, the Briton has revealed that he has given up on it a long time ago, as it jinxed his race once.
The Mercedes man opened up about it when he spoke to GQ China during the 2024 Chinese GP. “When I was younger, I had a ritual, like have to get in the car in a certain way, I had to prepare a certain way,” said the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton further added, “But I remember many years ago, when I was like 17, I missed one of the steps, and I made mistakes, so I got rid of it.” Therefore, going by his words, he has been living superstition-free for over two decades now.
Hamilton was racing in Formula Renault UK when he was 17 years old. Now at the age of 39, he not only has the most wins and most pole positions in F1, but also the most podiums, and most importantly, seven world championships.
From a regular motorhead who loved the fast lane and believed in superstition, to the most popular F1 driver on the planet, Lewis Hamilton has come a long way. He reigned supreme for most of the last decade and looked strong to settle the F1 GOAT debate. However, since 2022, the Briton has not been able to reach those heights again.
Lewis Hamilton’s fall from grace
Lewis Hamilton was thoroughly dominant from 2017 to 2020. Between these four years, the British driver claimed all four championships, and raked in 42 race wins. However, the situation began to change in 2021.
Red Bull Racing with Max Verstappen entered the scene on an even keel against Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. This was the beginning of the end of Hamilton’s supremacy. Verstappen won the world championship that year, and has remained unbeaten since.
As for the 39-year-old, his last race win came in the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, and going by the current scenario, a race win is unlikely to come for him in Mercedes. This, perhaps, was the deciding factor behind Hamilton’s decision to switch teams in 2025.
After an association of 12 long years with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari next year and race alongside Charles Leclerc. The Italian team are regarded as a serious threat to Red Bull currently, and one can say that Hamilton decided to switch right at the nick of time.