From his debut in Formula 1 in 2007, Lewis Hamilton impressed the paddock by playing for victories and the world title for his very first season. But what is less known is that he demanded design changes on board his car that are used by everyone today.
Indeed, the seven-time world champion reveals that when he arrived as a holder at McLaren F1, he asked that his round steering wheel be replaced by a flat steering wheel with handles on the side, which everyone now uses.
“A lot of people don’t know this but when I was at McLaren I redesigned the steering wheel,” Hamilton said.
“And when I came to Mercedes I was doing the same thing and all the teams were copying the steering wheel. All the old steering wheels were circular in shape. Now you can see that’s not the case anymore.”
“I should have patented it! It’s something I’m very proud of, I like working on the ergonomics of the car.”
Besides his steering wheel, Hamilton likes to bring his personal touch to other aspects.
“I also designated my cockpit seat, and I’ve been using the same one for pretty much the same for ten years. We’ve also redesigned the pedals with the engineers. These are things I love to do as they allow me to tap into my creativity.”
Hamilton is already thinking about what his life will be like after F1
If Lewis Hamilton has already assured several times that he wanted to extend his contract beyond the 2023 season, that does not prevent him from thinking about what he will want to do after F1.
“I’ve spoken to many amazing athletes who were nearing the end of their careers, and others who had already retired. Many told me they quit too soon or too late.”
“Most say you’ll know when the time is right. But because we’re so determined as race drivers and focused on giving our best, we don’t usually have time for anything else. “
“So I try to put things in place so that the transition is easy for me afterwards.”