“Was I robbed? Obviously. I mean, you know the story. But I think what was really beautiful in that moment, which I take away from it, was my dad was with me. And we’d gone through this huge roller coaster of life together, ups and downs. And the day that it hurt the most, he was there, and the way he raised me was to always stand up, keep your head high. And I obviously went to congratulate Max, and not realizing the impact that that would have, but also I was really conscious of, like, there’s a mini-me watching. This is the defining moment of my life. And I think it really was. I felt it. I didn’t know how it was going to be perceived. I hadn’t, like, visualized it. But I was definitely conscious of: These next 50 meters that I walk is where I fall to the ground and die—or I rise up.”
“If I see a clip of it, I still feel it,” he says. “But I’m at peace with it.”
And the winning-less-ness that’s followed?
“My fans were really ride-or-die. I couldn’t understand it at first: ‘Guys, but I’m not winning anything!’ But I’ve realized it’s not easy to relate to someone that’s always finishing first. It’s inspiring. But there’s no—” There’s never been a comeback story until now.
guy collaborated to some extent with mussolini (like all major italian companies at the time, to be clear) but enough that the nickname il commendatore was actually awarded to him by a mussolini official in the style of mussolinis own il duce.
lewis hamilton is a real person, while the scuderia ferrari you describe as inspiring is a mythos and aura constructed by a car company in the image of italian futurism. it does not demand or deserve respect the way an actual human being does. it is a corporation. its also wildly inappropriate to say this in light of the racism lewis has been subjected to both by tifosi as well as ferrari management.
I do think the really unfortunate aspect about this partnership is that there are going to be ferrari fans that won’t give lewis hamilton the respect he rightfully deserves and there are also going to be lewis fans that won’t give scuderia ferrari the respect it deserves either. and that is going to be the detriment to f1 and motorsport as a whole if people can’t understand the unique accomplishments they have done respectively and the inspiration they both bring to so many
in all seriousness, the historical racism of tifosi, the way ferrari management have talked about lewis as not fitting the image of the "brand" before and generally the uncritical team worship for a "legacy" that ferrari drivers must prostrate to make me deeply unhappy abt this move. i didn't want them to get their hands on lewis, and i am so very not excited to share a fanbase with people who will just beat your head with omg ferrari romanticism why will you not love the the meat grinder of a team that has failed to win with several wdcs!!! don't even get me started on the enzo ferrari apologia.