Lewis Hamilton’s father responds to tearful “not good enough” admission

Anthony Hamilton has credited his son Lewis Hamilton for overcoming fears of self-doubt to win his first F1 grand prix in two-and-a-half years.

The Mercedes driver’s victory last weekend at the British GP - his ninth at Silverstone - was the most emotional yet.

Hamilton had done not won a race since 2021, the year that ended with the Abu Dhabi controversy and Max Verstappen’s ushering in as F1’s new dominant force.

Hamilton tearfully admitted: “There have definitely been moments between 2021 and here when I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or I thought it was never going to happen again.”

His father responded to Channel 4 to Hamilton’s admission: “We’ve spoken about that. He always does that.

“I think is a great thing. You have to question yourself sometimes.

Sometimes you have to question yourself, and do it on your own, without asking anyone’s opinion.

“People will always say ‘don’t worry about it, you are great, you will be okay’.

“That’s what I tell him! But you’ve got to figure it out yourself, sometimes. And that’s what he does.”

Hamilton, after missing out on an all-time record eighth F1 champion at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix due to race director Michael Masi’s application of the Safety Car rule, considered retiring from the sport.

“You can’t make decisions when you are emotionally charged,” his father said.

“That emotion stayed for a long time.

“Say nothing, just get on with the job. Once the emotion is in the back pocket, then you can make a decision.”

Hamilton’s win at Silverstone came seven days after teammate George Russell won in Austria.

Mercedes have now matched Ferrari’s tally of grand prix wins for the season and have become F1’s in-form team.

The upward trend that the W15 had threatened since Montreal has finally paid dividends for the Mercedes drivers.

“It’s a recharge of confidence. That’s the most important thing,” Anthony Hamilton said.

“You doubt yourself - ‘is it me?’

“Actually, it’s never you. If you’ve done everything right, come back, and given 100%, and you doubt yourself? Well, it’s not you. It’s circumstances beyond your control.

“Those are things that can never be calculated.”

Hamilton’s father reacted to his son’s tearful post-race interviews: “He was so emotional. It was the result of putting everything into today.

“He was upset at not getting pole. He probably went home and thought ‘I will come back tomorrow and give everything’.

“The weather was up and down. But when the weather is up and down, he smiles!”

Anthony Hamilton added: “I have always got great belief in Lewis. “When the weather turns, I never doubt it. But you worry because anything can happen in the rain.

“When he was eight years of age, driving on slick tyres in wind and rain, go-karting in the UK, he still won races.”