Sir Lewis Hamilton has been a champion driver. He is 39 years old but still going strong. Next year, as he will turn 40, one of his dreams is about to come true. The seven-time champion will wear the iconic “Red” uniform. He will be driving for Ferrari. It is one of those situations when the most decorated driver joins the most successful F1 team of all time. Hence, a new chapter is about to begin in the legendary driver’s F1 career at 40. But the racers know how risky and life-threatening job this sport can be. In the last 50 years, there have been so many death cases in Formula 1. Who can forget the great Ayrton Senna? He has been the idol for many great racers in the present day, including Lewis Hamilton.
But it is not just casualties. There have also been terrible accidents and injuries to racers. For instance, the late great Niki Lauda almost died in the 1976 Nurburgring race. He had a terrible burnt injury to his face, but he still continued to race. Eventually, Lauda finished as a three-time champion and a legend of the sport. This proves that F1 drivers do their job with their life hanging in the balance. But they do it for the thrill and excitement. In his 18 years of illustrious F1 career so far, Hamilton had a lot of risky moments. But the near-death experience he had was not while racing.
What Was Hamilton’s Near-Death Experience?
Recently, in an interview with First We Feast on YouTube, Lewis Hamilton said he almost died while surfing. During his Hot Ones challenge, the seven-time champion told the story when he went surfing with Kelly Slater. He said the biggest wipeout he had was with Slater at Pipeline in Hawaii. He experienced a 20 foot wave and Kelly was like “You are crazy, there’s no way you are coming out of there.” Then, Lewis tried to paddle in and as he tried to do that, he got sucked into the “Kill zone.” After he was sucking into the zone, he turned around to see a set of four waves coming. That’s when Hamilton said he went, “It’s over, all over.”
Then, he threw his board to dove down and was able to grab the reef. That’s when he heard the waves crash behind him. As a result of this incident, Hamilton’s board got ripped off and snapped from the middle. Later, he tried to get back up as he was gasping for air. However, the next wave was coming, so he went back to the reef again. Then, another wave came over, and he had to do it three times, as a result. But finally, he got up, almost ran out of air, and nearly drowned. Anyway, then he managed to swim back from there. Finally, Lewis Hamilton said he felt like, “Alright, huge props to all the surfers out there.”
Lewis Hamilton Never Likes To Give Up
The seven-time champion always proves that he is one of the bravest people out there. He never shies away from taking risks. That’s what keeps him going in a sport where life risk is so high. Then, he likes this kind of adventure sports, such as surfing. Even when experiencing near-death moments, his adrenaline keeps pushing him.
Moreover, he didn’t shy away from choosing Ferrari as his next destination at 40. Before he hangs his racing boots and helmet, Lewis Hamilton will give one last shot at trying to win the coveted eighth championship. It is not going to be easy. But that should not be a problem for the adventure-loving Hamilton.
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