At age 39, Lewis Hamilton knows that his time in the cockpit of a Formula One car is coming to a end soon – and he wants to be prepared for that moment.
Hamilton is set to join Ferrari next season in a move away from Mercedes, but he knows that his future in the sport might not be for much longer.
Speaking to GQ, Hamilton revealed that he’s been asking other legends of sport for their advice on retirement and how he should set himself up for future success.
‘I’d spoken to so many amazing athletes, from Boris Becker to Serena Williams, even Michael Jordan,’ the 39-year-old Hamilton says.
‘Talking to greats that I’ve met along the way, who are retired—or some that are still in competition—and the fear of what’s next, the lack of preparation for what’s next.
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Lewis Hamilton isn’t ready to retire yet, but he’s making sure he has a plan for when he does
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Hamilton said that he spoke to retired athletes like Serena Williams for advice
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Other athletes he discussed retirement with included Michael Jordan (above) and Boris Becker
‘A lot of them said: “I stopped too early.” Or: “Stayed too long.” “When it ended, I didn’t have anything planned.” “My whole world came crashing down because my whole life has been about that sport.”‘
‘Some of them were like: “I didn’t plan and it was a bit of a mess-up because I was really lost afterwards. There was such a hole. Such a void. And I had no idea how I was going to fill it. And I was in such a rush initially to try and fill it that you fill it with the wrong thing. And you make a few mistakes. And then eventually you find your way.” Some people took longer. Some people took shorter.
‘But it just got my mind thinking about: Okay, when I stop, how do I avoid that? And so I got serious about finding other things that I was passionate about.’
Hamilton has already established his interest in the worlds of fashion, music, and movies – passions he says he was able to branch into after he broke the color barrier in Formula One.
‘When I first got into Formula 1,’ he says, ‘it was wake up, train, racing-racing-racing–racing, nothing else. There’s no space for anything else.
‘But what I realized is that just working all the time doesn’t bring you happiness, and you need to find a balance in life. And I found out that I was actually quite unhappy.’
‘There was so much missing, there was so much more to me. And it was crazy, because I was like: I’m in Formula 1, I reached my dream, and I’m where I always wanted to be, I’m on top, I’m fighting for the championship. But I was just not—it was not enjoyable.’
Hamilton and Mercedes will race this weekend at the Suzuka circuit in Japan.
