Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/732984
G ap-toothed and diamond- studded, a lover of cherry- red jets and bulldogs, the ruthlessly fast and master- ful three-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton can be—believe it or not—really sweet. The 31-year-old international star still loves the world the way a child loves to play. In the United States, this spirit of his could do for the global mega-sport of F1 racing what David Beckham did for soccer. And Lewis, who will return October 21–23 for the fifth US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, loves it here, so the affection would be mutual. "Austin is awesome," he tells us in his English accent. A Brit signed to the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, Hamilton is considered one of the greatest drivers of his generation. He is also one of the best compensated: Forbes ranks him 11th on the lad- der of the world's highest-paid athletes. Hamilton signed a contract extension with Mercedes start- ing this season that could pay out more than $140 million over three years. And this doesn't include his many endorsements and licensing income streams, including IWC Schaffhausen, L'Oreal, and Monster Energy, among others. He started very young, as many F1 drivers do, competing on (and crushing) the British karting circuits from the age of 8. He knew from day one that racing was it. When asked how he's evolved as a driver, Hamilton says he's gained "knowl- edge of the way the world works, humility, road knowledge, and maturity." But he stresses: "Today, I still drive with the same spirit I had when I was 8, with the exact same strength in my heart." His ambition and mastery—with his aggres- sive approach to taking the curbs, he's known as the king of overtaking other drivers--are pure and inviolable. And his ability to protect his talent from everyone, from the detractors to the parasites, might be the key to his mind-blowing success. After almost winning his maiden F1 season in 2007, the next year Hamilton became the then- youngest driver in history to win the world championship. He claimed the world title again in AUSTINWAY.com 79