Over the duration of his illustrious F1 career, Lewis Hamilton has established himself as an icon of the sport. His seven world titles have solidified his legacy as the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 and have helped him amass a net worth of around $300 million. Former F1 boss Guenther Steiner has now explained why the #44 driver has achieved so much.
On the How to Fail podcast, Steiner listed the crucial traits that make a very good F1 driver. The Italian explained that the basic ingredient of a good driver is natural talent. Coming up the ranks, a driver also needs support. And once in the sport, mental fortitude is key to keep focusing on the driving while filtering out the other distractions.
Host Elizabeth Day then went on to list how Hamilton embodies these traits. Steiner responded by detailing how the Briton has an overall mature personality, not only in terms of his driving but also when he engages in his business activities.
That said, Steiner feels that Hamilton entered the sport at the right time. That’s why he has been able to leave a mark and build his brand. “Also, he was fortunate enough – when the sport was growing and [when] he was at the beginning when the big growth started of the sport, so he grew with it,” explained the 59-year-old.
Highlighting the paddock environment, Steiner also stressed the fact that young drivers today need a really strong support system around them. For Hamilton, he was lucky to have his father as the figure who not only managed him but also the distractions around his early career.
Hamilton is a good F1 driver but an even better businessman
Steiner was full of praise for Hamilton when it came to the latter’s immense business acumen. Hamilton has showcased this trait of his by making some really shrewd yet meaningful commercial moves.
The Mercedes driver has made investments in many diverse avenues – such as taking part-ownership of NFL outfit Denver Broncos, opening his own vegan burger chain, Neat Burgers, with Leonardo DiCaprio, and also taking up the role as an executive producer in Brad Pitt’s latest movie ‘F1‘.
does he know 🥹🥹🥹‼️‼️‼️
Sir Lewis Hamilton in early 2018 :
"The ultimate goal is to continue to build on my brand….and ultimately have some sort of business i can work on and move on to." @mission44 | @almave | plus44 | dawn apollo films
and so much more to come ❤️✨ pic.twitter.com/1ijBR48YgT
— sim (@sim3744) May 20, 2024
These decisions have come after careful consideration on Hamilton’s end. For instance, after acquiring a part of the Broncos, Sky Sports quoted him as explaining, “There’s a real lack of black ownership [in the NFL], and I’m pushing for diversity constantly.”
