Lewis Hamilton insists staying unmarried means he can win in F1 his 40s, after string of failed romances, as he attacks ‘old white men’ after Eddie Jordan said Ferrari hiring him was ‘suicidal’

Lewis Hamilton, 40, left Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the 2024 campaign 
Ferrari’s decision to drop Carlos Sainz for Hamilton was labelled as ‘suicidal’ 
Hamilton finished top of a session for the first time in a Ferrari on Thursday 

Lewis Hamilton has hit out at his critics in a scintillating interview ahead of his first season with Ferrari, claiming that he is ‘built different’ to any other Formula One driver.

Hamilton is arguably the greatest driver to ever set foot in a cockpit, winning seven world championship titles and dominating the sport for the majority of the 2010s with Mercedes.

After narrowly missing out on world title No 8 in controversial circumstances to Max Verstappen, he has since struggled to replicate that form, though he has remained competitive throughout.

Now, after leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 campaign, he is preparing for a fresh start at the age of 40 with Ferrari.

It comes after former team principal with Mercedes Toto Wolff suggested Hamilton’s departure ‘helps us’ as they no longer have to broach the topic of asking ‘the sport’s most iconic driver that we want to stop’, in a book published in November.

He further added that everyone ‘has a shelf life’, but Hamilton, in an interview with Time magazine, insists that Wolff’s words have no influence on him.

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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that not having a wife and kids has helped him remain competitive

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Instead he pointed to two of American sport’s greatest ever athletes in Tom Brady and LeBron James as inspirations and evidence that success can still be found in his 40s.

‘Don’t ever compare me to anybody else,’ says Hamilton. ‘I’m the first and only Black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had my own journey.

‘You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old, past or present, Formula One driver in history. Because they are nothing like me.

‘I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids. I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning. That’s my No 1 priority.’

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari also provoked criticism from across the racing world, with former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan perhaps chief among those negative voices.

Jordan, who previously worked as an F1 pundit on the BBC, claimed it was ‘absolutely suicidal’ for Ferrari to let Carlos Sainz leave at the end of the season.

The Spanish driver, who has since joined Williams, had a strong relationship both on and off the track with Hamilton’s new team-mate Charles Leclerc, but Hamilton cast aside any criticism aimed his way.

‘I’ve always welcomed the negativity,’ says Hamilton.

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Hamilton and popstar Nicole Scherzinger had an on-off relationship between 2007 and 2015

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Eddie Jordan was vocal in his criticism of Ferrari’s decision to drop Carlos Sainz for Hamilton

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Hamilton has already got his first taste of life with Ferrari in pre-season testing in Bahrain

‘I never, ever reply to any of the older, ultimately, white men who have commented on my career and what they think I should be doing. How you show up, how you present yourself, how you perform slowly dispels that.’

After a shaky first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain this week, Hamilton proved why he is one of the greatest drivers of all time and adapt to a new car at impressive speed.

He finished top of the pile for the first time in Ferrari red, and while pre-season testing rarely yields any real indicators for the season proper, it will give Hamilton the confidence – if confidence were needed – that he can indeed still compete at the highest level.

Former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya has already backed Hamilton to make history this season and pip  Verstappen to the post.

Montoya – who won seven Grand Prix across six seasons between 2001 and 2006 – feels the warning signs are there for Red Bull after they stumbled over the finish line last year, and believes Hamilton will jump ahead of Verstappen on the grid over the coming months.

‘Verstappen is not going to be a problem for Lewis this year,’ Montoya said.

‘I would be surprised if Red Bull came out to fight like in recent years.’

He added: ‘When he went up against Lewis [to end Hamilton’s dominance] and took no prisoners, everyone thought: “Oh, great. Finally someone is standing up to Hamilton”.

‘Now the positions are reversed.’