Teaches a Winning Mindset

TABLE OF
CONTENTS

1
 03 21
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: ESTABLISHING A
LEWIS HAMILTON WINNING MINDSET
From child prodigy to racing legend According to Lewis, mental preparation
to social justice leader, his journey is ‘absolutely everything’
is about more than speed

09 26
ASSIGNMENT
A BEGINNER'S GUIDE Analyse your personal performance
TO FORMULA 1
Your brief introduction to
the most incredible auto-racing 27
series on the planet
VALUING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
On the importance of claiming

15 your worth and unlocking the true

power of individualism
TOTAL CONTROL
A technical analysis of the steering
wheel in Lewis’s World Championship-
30
winning car from 2018 CHANGE IN MOTION
Reviewing the Hamilton Commission

17
report and Lewis’s push to increase
diversity in racing

THE ROAD TO
RACING GLORY 31
Outlining the path (and pitfalls) of
an aspiring professional racer
REFINING THE FORMULA
Reconsider your approach to
self-improvement (and try employing

19 a few of Lewis’s strategies)

FORMULA 1 LIFE CYCLE 33

Champions aren’t made overnight,
but there is an established path to
joining racing’s top tiers
ASSIGNMENT
Create a self-care plan

20 34
ASSIGNMENT Continuing Education
Map out the life cycle
Use the principles discussed
of your career
during Lewis’s class to curate
a well-rounded bookshelf

2
M E E T Y O U R INSTRUCTOR:
LEWIS HAMILTON
From child prodigy to racing legend
to social justice leader, the British
driver’s journey has always been
about more than just speed
LEWIS HAMILTON IS A WINNER.
That isn’t so much a superlative as
a simple matter of fact. Competing in
Formula 1 auto racing, widely consid-
ered the highest level of motorsport
in the world, he’s driven more laps in
first place than any other driver in
history. He’s tallied more than one
hundred race victories, an all-time
record, and captured seven Formula
1 World Championship trophies,
matching another all-time record.
Often, he’s winning before the race
even begins: Nobody has more
pole-position starts, awarded to the
first-place finisher in prerace qualify-
ing, than Lewis does.
He certainly had a head start in
terms of raw ability. Lewis was born in
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England,
in 1985; by the age of six, he was
showing a preternatural gift for rac-
ing remote-control cars, routinely
beating his teenage and adult oppo-
nents around the miniature courses.
Impressed by his son’s hand-eye
coordination and reaction speed,
Lewis’s father bought him a go-kart,
a definitive step on the path to
becoming a professional racing
driver. He proved a precocious talent
behind the wheel, winning his first
karting championship in 1995 at the
age of ten – the youngest driver to do
3
so at the time. At an awards cere-
mony in London that year, Lewis
started mapping out his future.
‘Ayrton Senna was my favourite
driver…the team that he drove for
[McLaren F1] was owned by a guy
called Ron Dennis. And Ron Dennis
was there,’ Lewis recalls of the event.
‘So I went to Ron and I said, “One day I
wanna drive for you and be World
Champion.”’
And so it was: After notching two
more karting championships, in 1996
and 1997, Lewis was recruited into
the McLaren Young Driver Pro-
gramme, securing his place in the
Formula 1 pipeline. He quickly

ascended the proverbial ladder of
auto racing in Europe, taking home
two major series championships
before moving into GP2 racing – the
feeder series just below Formula 1 –
for 2006. He won the title there, too,
but the prize turned out to be much
more than a trophy: McLaren invited
him to a testing session at England’s
famed Silverstone Circuit. He aced
the audition. Eight weeks later,
McLaren announced that Lewis
would be promoted to the Formula 1
team for 2007, racing alongside lead
driver Fernando Alonso, a two-time
World Champion.
Strapping into the driver’s seat,
Lewis made his presence known
immediately. He finished third in his
debut race, then won his sixth race
outright; under the Formula 1 scoring
system, wherein individual drivers
earn points according to their finish-
ing order, Lewis spent months lead-
ing the World Championship stand-
ings – virtually unheard of for a
rookie. He eventually finished sec-
ond, losing to Ferrari driver Kimi
Räikkönen by a single point, but set
a number of first-season records.
And he took care of business in
2008, winning the World Champion-
ship in dramatic fashion, success-
fully overtaking another driver on
the last lap of the season’s last race.
Since signing with the power-
house Mercedes-AMG Petronas
team for 2013, Lewis has claimed
the World Championship in six of
the seven following seasons, tying
the career record for Formula 1
titles – and breaking dozens of
5
LEFT: Lewis strapped into the car
for a test session before his For-
mula 1 debut. His four race wins in
2007 tied the record for most victo-
ries in a season by a rookie driver.
other records along the way. (His
dominance has drawn comparisons
to the likes of Michael Jordan.) He’s
also become a formidable figure in
pop culture, appearing on the cover
of GQ magazine, releasing a cloth-
ing line with American fashion icon
Tommy Hilfiger, voicing characters
in Disney’s animated film franchise
Cars and the bestselling video
game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,
and garnering a mass following on
social media. In 2020, having estab-
lished himself as England’s most
decorated Formula 1 driver, Lewis
was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
Formally, the honour recognised
his contributions to motorsport.
But in recent years, Lewis has been
gaining recognition for his work on
social issues, including systemic rac-
ism and gender inequity. He’s used
his platform to amplify the Black
Lives Matter movement, speaking
out in interviews and participating in
peaceful demonstrations to empha-
sise his solidarity. Noting the demo-
graphics of his field (Lewis is the only
Black driver in Formula 1, and similar
disparities exist throughout the sport
in design, engineering and other
technical roles), he launched the
Hamilton Commission, a task force
focused on increasing representa-
tion in motorsport. He’s also ear-
marked nearly $30 million to support
initiatives benefiting maths and sci-
ence students of colour through his
charity organisation, Mission 44.
Having a sense of purpose hasn’t
only rejuvenated Lewis personally –
he says it’s actually boosted his per-
formance on the racetrack.
Finding new sources of motivation
– regardless of your profession or level
of accomplishment – can present a
challenge for anybody. The same is
true of the other skills Lewis has spent
decades honing, from preparation and
focus to overcoming failure and main-
taining discipline. In this class, he
hopes to pass along some of that
hard-earned knowledge to you, along
with some key insights from his his-
toric (and, at times, challenging)
career. Being a winner, Lewis believes,
isn’t simply a matter of ability. Your
mentality makes all the difference.
We get in the way of ourselves
sometimes. But continuously
challenging yourself, never
giving up – it’s at the core of
how I do what I do.
LEWIS

7
A B E G I N N ER'S GUIDE TO

FORMULA 1
Your brief introduction to the
most incredible auto-racing
series on the planet

9

To grasp the magnitude of Lewis’s
accomplishments, you need to know
a bit about Formula 1. Long estab-
lished as one of the most competi-
tive, demanding and technologically
advanced forms of auto racing, the
series is a multibillion-dollar global
venture. Still, it’s more popular in
some markets than others. New to
the world of Formula 1? No sweat.
Get up to speed here.
 How Did It Start?
Following World War II, European
motorsport officials christened a
new international governing body,
the Fédération Internationale de
l’Automobile. That organisation in
turn created a hierarchy of racing
BELOW: The start of the 1946 Turin Grand Prix, the first race run to Formula 1
criteria. Early cars used supercharged engines to reach speeds over 160 mph;
helmets weren’t mandatory and some drivers raced in short-sleeved shirts.
series, with Formula 1 representing Mercedes to build racing vehicles
the pinnacle of competition. (The that meet Formula 1 criteria, which
word formula denotes just that – a can’t be sold to the general public.
set of criteria, including engine size Over the years, the sport has
and tyre compounds, to which each become an international touchstone
car in a racing series must conform.) and, in some cases, a source of
Formulas 2, 3 and 4 are effectively national pride. The skills of early
the minor leagues, feeding drivers World Champions, like Juan Manuel
into Formula 1. Fangio of Argentina, were widely cel-
The series’ inaugural Grand Prix ebrated; in the 1970s, English-born
took place in Turin, Italy, in 1946. The driver James Hunt brought a rock-
modern multirace World Champion- star swagger to the circuit. Later,
ship didn’t kick off until four years Ayrton Senna’s tenacity behind the
later. Under this format, which is still wheel (where he won three World
in place today, a set number of points
are awarded to the top finishers of
Juan Manuel Fangio
each Grand Prix. At the end of the
season, the driver with the most
points is crowned World Champion.
Since 1958, Formula 1 has also
awarded an additional trophy, the
Constructors’ Championship, along
with a multimillion-dollar cash prize,
to the team with the most successful
car. This incentivises top automakers
like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Honda and
 James Hunt
ible amounts of time, money, technol-
ogy and skill (plus a bit of luck) from
participants. Formula 1 is the most
extreme expression of this reality, in
every respect. Teams spend hundreds
of millions of dollars to compete and
must develop cars from scratch, build-
ing dedicated open-wheel1 racing
vehicles that have only one seat, no
fenders and minimal bodywork.
Ayrton Senna
These machines are genuine feats
of engineering, incorporating wild
aerodynamics, aerospace-grade
materials and advanced data telem-
GLOSSARY etry. Cutting-edge computer sys-
tems control the engine, transmis-
1. Open-wheel:
sion and opposable rear wing2. While
A type of vehicle, the rules and regulations change fre-
usually purpose- quently, modern Formula 1 cars are
built for racing, required to use a V6 engine boosted
with special sus- Michael Schumacher
by a turbocharger3 and hybrid bat-
pension, outboard
tery setup for maximum efficiency.
wheels and tyres
and little or no (Lewis’s Mercedes-AMG Petronas
body panelling. makes about 1,000 horsepower and
weighs just over 725 kilograms. For
2. Wing: reference, a Toyota Corolla weighs
A fixed or move- about 1,360 kilograms and has 139
able appendage,
attached to the
horsepower.)
front or rear of The pursuit of speed positions
a vehicle, that Formula 1 as a testing ground for
stalls airflow to Championships) and humanitarian technology that’s refined and added
increase downforce efforts (he remains a hero in his to the everyday vehicles you see at
(see page 14).
native Brazil) inspired a new genera- dealerships. Electronic adjustable
3. Turbocharger: tion of fans – including Lewis. After suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes
An auxiliary Senna was killed in an accident and steering-wheel paddle shifters –
turbine that feeds on-track in 1994, Michael Schu- formerly exotic features, now availa-
compressed air macher, a tactical and steely German ble on mainstream Chevrolet sports
into a petrol wheelman, took up the mantle of cars – were developed in Formula 1.
or diesel engine
to increase torque
greatness in Formula 1. Driving for Other tech from the series has made
and efficiency. Ferrari, he dominated the series for a its way into public transport, manu-
decade and set numerous records, facturing, 5G infrastructure and hos-
4. Grand Prix: many of which Lewis has broken in pital communications. When you
A single interna- recent years. watch Formula 1, you are, in a sense,
tional auto-racing
looking into the future.
competition, typi-
cally held as part  What Makes It Special? Every year, teams bring two cars
of a larger, mul- Motorsport is known for its high (and hundreds of supporting staff) to
tirace series. degree of difficulty, demanding incred- dozens of Grand Prix4 spanning five

11
The sinuous, multiplane
front wing of Lewis’s
Championship-winning
car from 2017. The piece
is made of carbon-fibre –
the same high-strength,
lightweight material
used in fighter jets.
 continents. Most are held at dedi-
cated racetracks, like the famed Inter-
lagos in São Paulo and Spa-Francor-
champs in Belgium, but a few take
GLOSSARY place on closed-off public streets,
including those in the principality of
5. Pole position: Monaco and downtown Baku in Azer-
First place on the baijan. These are full-weekend events,
starting grid on with practice sessions on Friday to
race day. test the cars; individual lapping on
Saturday for prerace qualifying, with
6. Downforce:
Reversed vertical the fastest driver gaining the advan-
lift, created by tage of pole position5; and the main
air resistance and event, the point-scoring Grand Prix,
gravity, that sim- on Sunday. The latter usually takes
ulates additional about ninety minutes, but is limited to
weight at high
no more than two hours except under
speeds to increase
stability. (Fun special circumstances.
fact: Lewis’s For- At the end of the weekend, the
mula 1 car gener- teams break down the cars and kit,
ates so much down- pack everything up and move on to
force that, at 100
the next race locale. Think of Formula
mph, he could
theoretically 1 like a glamorous, high-stakes trav-
drive upside down elling circus. Adding to the romance
on the ceiling!) and mystique, there’s a red-carpet
13
atmosphere during the Grand Prix
weekend, with guest lists that read
like A-list rundowns from music, tele-
vision, film and fashion.
 Why Is It So Difficult?
For starters, the speed. Consider
Formula 1 in relation to IndyCar,
another prominent open-wheel rac-
ing series; both held separate events
at the same track, Circuit of the
Americas in Texas, in 2019. During
qualifying, the fastest IndyCar driver
averaged 115 mph for their best lap.
Meanwhile, the top Formula 1 driver
clocked in at over 133 mph.
The key differential wasn’t top
speed, but rather increased traction.
This is because Formula 1 cars have
unique aerodynamic qualities; they
manipulate the air passing around
the car to create downforce6, which
pushes the tyres harder onto the
ground. As speed increases, so does
the amount of passing air and, thus,
 There is no shortcut to experience.
the amount of downforce. Counterin-
tuitively, a Formula 1 car is more sta-
ble at 200 mph than at 20 mph.
With the car’s rubber secured to
the pavement, the driver experiences
enormous physical strain (straight-
line acceleration alone can generate
2 g, twice the amount of force
exerted by Earth’s gravity) and must
continue to work the controls under
these stresses. During hard braking,
the car decelerates so quickly that
the driver’s body can be subjected to
upward of 6 g. These force multipli-
cations yield radical real-world
results: In the aforementioned brak-
ing scenario, if a driver’s head and
helmet weigh 9 kilograms, their neck
is effectively lifting 54 kilograms just
to keep their skull upright.
High-speed cornering subjects
drivers to similar physical pressure.
Sensors have measured Lewis
enduring 4.9 g, 5.6 g and 5.2 g
through three particularly intense
LEWIS
corners at Italy’s Mugello Circuit. Petronas engineers are always push-
That’s roughly double the amount of ing the limits of machinery to
force experienced by an astronaut increase downforce, squeeze out
during an STS rocket launch. Unlike extra horsepower and gain an edge.
space shuttle crews, though, For- For Lewis, being able to meet those
mula 1 drivers must continually per- challenges when they arise and, in
form under these conditions, lap turn, maintain peak performance
after lap, in some cases for several that translates to victory on the race-
hours, dozens of times per year. track, is simply part of the job.
Behind the wheel, they can expect
prolonged heart-rate elevation
between 140 and 205 beats per min-
ute – and to lose about 3 kilograms
due to exertion during a race.
Without brutal fitness regimens,
drivers couldn’t complete a Grand
Prix, which may last fifty or sixty laps.
To meet these demands, Lewis
adheres to a strict vegan diet (hearty
grains, plant-based proteins,
steamed vegetables, carbohy-
drate-dense pastas) and spends up
to six hours per day on focused exer-
cises (pilates, wind sprints, skiing
and biking). His Mercedes-AMG
T E C H N I C AL ANALYSIS

TOTAL CONTROL
Formula 1 drivers tune their cars via the steering wheel
while racing, making adjustments in real-time. Here’s a look
at the unit from Lewis’s 2018 World Championship-winning car

DRS: Changes the position of the rear wing,

allowing Lewis to achieve a higher top speed
for passing on straightaways

SKIP +10: Used in combination with the Skip

+1 button (opposite) to select a specific
engine sensor – each of which has a numerical
code – and reset that sensor to default

GEARBOX N: Puts the transmission into

neutral for pit stops

DIFFERENTIAL ENTRY: Changes how

the engine distributes power
between the rear wheels when Lewis
is entering a corner

SHIFT PADDLE: Changes the trans-

mission to a lower gear

ENGINE BRAKING:Adjusts how much

the car slows down when Lewis isn’t
touching the throttle or brake

DIFFERENTIAL MID: Changes how the

engine distributes power between
each of the rear wheels when Lewis
is in the middle of a corner

MARK: Creates a point of interest

on the fly, cuing engineers to
analyse data for a certain sector
of the track; think of it like
dropping a location pin, except
at 200 mph STRAT ROTARY: MENU ROTARY: Cycles
Allows Lewis to through a menu of cockpit
ACCEPT: Confirms the engine choose from sixteen settings, letting Lewis
sensor selections made using preset power modes, control everything from
the Skip +1 and +10 buttons dialling in the display brightness to radio
optimal position for volume, with presets for
BB-:Increases the rear a given situation certain scenarios like
braking power wet-weather racing

15
 SHIFT INDICATOR: MARSHAL LIGHTS:
Illuminates sequen- Indicates the colour
tially as the engine of the race offi-
revs higher; when the cial’s flag, which
light bank is full, may signal a morato-
Lewis needs to shift rium on passing due to
up to a higher gear on-track debris or a
full race stoppage

PIT LANE: Activates a governor

to prevent Lewis from going
too fast in pit lane, where a
speed limit is enforced for
crew safety; even if he mashes
the throttle, the car won’t
accelerate beyond a certain
threshold

PIT CONFIRM: Alerts the team

that Lewis is coming into the pit
lane; he can use this instead of
broadcasting over the radio,
preventing other teams from
eavesdropping and exploiting
an opportunity to pass

DIFFERENTIAL HIGH: Changes

how the engine distributes
power between each of the rear
wheels at high speeds

SHIFT PADDLE: Changes the

transmission to a higher gear

BRAKE BALANCE: Changes the

baseline settings for brak-
ing bias, determining how
braking force is distributed
fore and aft; remember, the
car has two sets of brakes –
front and rear – but Lewis
only has one brake pedal!

ENGINE BRAKING: Adjusts how

much the car slows down when
Lewis isn’t touching the
throttle or brakes

HPP ROTARY: Adjusts the

settings for complicated
engine functions like the RACE START: Maxim- TALK: Turns on the BB+: Increases the
electric battery component ises horsepower so radio so that Lewis front braking power
of the car’s hybrid system, that Lewis can speed can communicate with
which stores kinetic energy away from the start- his race engineers
and uses it to boost engine ing line back in the pits
performance

16
T H E R O A D TO

RACING GLORY
Outlining the career path
(and potential pitfalls) of
a professional racing hopeful

17
Lewis openly discusses the chal-
lenges of financing a career in mot-
orsport, especially at the lower lev-
els. He’s speaking from experience.
During his preteen and teenage
years, his family made incredible
sacrifices to ensure he could partici-
pate on race day; his father, Anthony,
‘had, like, four jobs’ and ‘remort-
gaged the house several times’,
Lewis says. Thanks to his natural
gifts behind the wheel and multiple
junior championships – and chance
encounter with Formula 1 team boss
Ron Dennis – he was able to secure a
spot in a driver incubation pro-
gramme. But Lewis makes no bones
about it: ‘We wouldn’t have made it
without help.’
Indeed, the path to Formula 1
(see page 19) is hemmed in by
wealth, talent and persistence.
Drivers who have enough of the
first, either through family fortunes
or sponsor connections, are likely
to get leeway with the latter two.
Lewis points out that systemic ine-
qualities put some aspiring racers,
in particular Black and female driv-
ers, at an inherent disadvantage –
something that he’s become
increasingly determined to rectify.
 The Real Price of Competing.
Even for privileged drivers, racing
can be prohibitively expensive. In a
2015 interview with the English busi-
ness publication Raconteur, Toto
Wolff, head of the Mercedes-AMG
Petronas team, revealed the costs of
going pro: He estimates that
between a junior karting career, four
seasons in lower Formula series and
the expenses of transitioning into
Formula 1, the total price amounts to
more than $9 million.
Lewis, like many professional racing drivers, honed his skills on the karting
track; by the age of ten, he’d already notched his first series championship
Wolff added that his maths applies
only to extraordinary talents, like
Lewis, who can quickly climb the
ranks. Those who need additional
seasons in karting or lower formulas
to develop their skills will pay even
more. Remember, too, that crashes,
mechanical failures and other inci-
dental costs are inevitable. For young
drivers already stretching each dollar
on race day, the spectre of financial
ruin looming in every corner can
seriously impede performance.
 The Sponsorships Struggle.
Let’s say a driver has money. They’ll
still need to impress a team, many of
whom now expect a larger suite of
attributes, in addition to driving talent
and a sterling record in racing’s lower
ranks. Other prerequisites may
include a large social media following,
as well as corporate endorsements,
which drivers can bring to teams. But
obtaining these deals can be difficult,
especially for racers from historically
marginalised backgrounds.
Near the top ranks, the wealth gap
becomes even more apparent. Indeed,
some drivers are only participating in
Grand Prix because they bring millions
of dollars in personal sponsorships to
their team. Wealthy parents of young
drivers have even reportedly pur-
chased expensive technical equip-
ment for teams, further muddying the
waters of sporting ethics.
 So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?
The dream of racing in Formula 1 can
be achieved, of course. But Lewis
believes it’s much more difficult to
accomplish in today’s climate than
when he was starting out. He’s hoping
to work with the Fédération Interna-
tionale de l’Automobile, the organisa-
tion that sanctions all levels of For-
mula racing, to lower barriers to entry
and increase grassroots participation.
For his part, Lewis’s father has
suggested several revisions to the
current driver pipeline, including a
merit-based drafting process
wherein Formula 1 teams select from
drivers from the lower ranks and limit
their contract lengths to increase
turnover, freeing up more opportuni-
ties (and preventing wealthy drivers
from buying their spot on the team
for extended periods of time).
 FORMULA 1

LIFE CYCLE
Champions aren’t made overnight,
but there is an established path to
becoming a professional driver in
racing’s top division

AGE 4+ AGE 15+

Many drivers begin practising in go-karts at a remarkably
young age. The small, simple (and relatively slow) machines
are excellent trainers; they reward strong fundamental skills,
like cornering, braking and passing strategy. Lewis got his
first kart at the age of eight and raced into his teens.
The first critical leap happens as a teenager, when drivers
move from karts to open-wheel cars, like those in Formula
4. Top finishers can start earning points towards their
Super Licence, a Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
accreditation for Formula 1 competition.

Engine (horsepower): less than 40 Engine (horsepower): 160

Weight (kilograms): about 135 Weight (kilograms): 580

AGE 16+ AGE 17+

The Formula 3 level is effectively divided into two classifi-
cations: regional, which features smaller turbocharged
engines, and the more competitive global, in which the
cars are faster and heavier. In both divisions, drivers must
adapt to increased weight, power and aerodynamics to
exploit the car’s full potential.
Formerly known as GP2, the Formula 2 series showcases
the world’s most promising open-wheel racing talent.
Turbocharged engines are mandatory; more Super
Licence points are awarded to top finishers. Hopefuls
vie for an invitation to drive a Formula 1 car during off-
season testing, an audition that may result in a contract –
but no guarantees. From here, it’s best or bust.

Engine (horsepower): 300–380 Engine (horsepower): 620

Weight (kilograms): 660–705 Weight (kilograms): 755

19 19
 A S S I G N M E N T

Career Life Cycle

Map out a path to the top of your profession,

noting the major stages along the way. These
might be tied to seniority level (entry level, man-
ager, president) or milestones (graduate, full
time, tenured). What accomplishments are
required to move up at each stage? Is the path
gradual or are there major leaps you can antici-
pate and prepare for? If you are considering a
career in motorsport, look at the life cycles of
drivers in different racing series (open-wheel,
touring cars, rallying) and compare them. Which
is going to be most accessible to you?

20
ES T A B L I SHING A

WINNING
MINDSET
Lewis is adamant
about what it takes
to be the best and he
doesn’t mince words:
‘Mental preparation
is absolutely
everything.’

21
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. Lewis stresses that communicating
effectively with engineers is a major aspect of his job as the lead driver.

In a given Formula 1 season, a driver quite literally, be the difference

may spend only forty or fifty hours
total racing for World Championship
points on the circuit. Moment to
moment, the stakes couldn’t be
higher; Lewis’s car might have one
seat, but he carries with him in the
cockpit the work of hundreds of
crewmembers, the expectations
of millions of fans and a staggering
amount of financial investment.
That’s to make no mention of the
physical danger. Going wheel to
wheel against his competition at
200 mph, the margin for error is
microscale. One misstep could,
between life and death.
‘There are some races where
you’re physically exhausted,’ Lewis
allows, ‘but most of them [you’re]
mentally destroyed afterwards.
Whether you’ve won or whether
you lost.’
As a result, he’s managed to
develop strategies for fortifying his
mental toughness. Some techniques
are more specific than others, but all
of them can be extrapolated, in one
form or another, into any career or
personal pursuit, from academia to
the business world.
 Disconnect and
Compartmentalise.
Lewis can’t afford any distractions
on race weekends, when he’s juggling
media appearances, driving in prac-
tice and qualifying, and fulfilling team
obligations, all while existing in a gen-
eral state of transience between one
world capital and the next. So you
probably won’t see him texting when
the Grand Prix is approaching.
‘Before a race, I try not to be on my
phone. I try not to be dealing with
issues, whether it’s [business]-re-
lated, whether it’s through personal
relationships,’ he says. ‘I put those
things aside. I put my phone aside.
23
I only use my phone on the race
weekend for music.’
Lewis has found that unplugging
between Grand Prix pays major divi-
dends, too. Being more present dur-
ing off-hours makes it easier for him
to avoid carrying negative energy
into his workplace – the racing pad-
dock – which makes it easier for his
teammates to operate at a higher
level. Lewis’s favourite strategy for
staying in the moment during down-
time? When out to dinner with family
or friends, everyone piles their
phones in the centre of the table.
The first person who reaches for
their device has to pay for the meal.
 Write It Down.
Formula 1 crews are divided up by
speciality; there isn’t one mechanic
for the engine and one for the aero-
dynamics, but rather a team for each.
As the driver, Lewis is often a fulcrum
point, gathering key intel and collab-
orating with various parties to ensure
he’s prepared on race day. During the
run-up to the Grand Prix, he spends a
lot of time in briefings.
‘We have our engineering meeting…
the tyre guys, the strategy guys, the
vehicle dynamics. They’re telling you
all the different challenges that we’ll
face,’ he explains. ‘I write those things
down. Then after that meeting, I have a
document that I read – a document
that my engineers have put together,
which is highlighting the things we’ve
learned from the previous race.… So I
do that research [and] write it down so
I’m mentally prepared.’
When you encounter a situation
with multiple stakeholders or find
yourself the centre of an informa-
tion-transmission scenario, keep
detailed personal notes and copies
of any reports or related materials.
It may sound simple, but the ability
to reference them later (and, thus,
efficiently move between teams and
sub-teams while collecting intel)
can prove invaluable.
 Embrace Trial and Error.
Ultimately, Lewis says, it’s incumbent
on each individual to ‘find what works
for you’. But he also offers a caveat: In
the pursuit of those learnings, it’s okay
if you don’t hit the mark one hundred
percent of the time. For example,
Lewis has learned that while Formula 1
engineers can study data for hours, he
absorbs information better when
given occasional breaks; about thirty
minutes into a cram session, he’ll
need a breather to ‘get up, shake off’
and hydrate in order to operate at a
high level. This type of self-knowledge
is critical to his ongoing success – and
a reason that he remains a perennial
front-runner in Formula 1, even after
more than a decade in the series.
25
‘I’ve been tweaking each year.
Even at the end of this season, I will
write down how the year’s gone. I
reflect on it,’ he says. ‘I’m constantly
modifying how much time I give,
whether it’s my stretching or I’m add-
ing something new that I’ve learned
during the week. I don’t think I’m ever
gonna stop evolving that, because
there’s still more potential.’
Because every work environment
(and every person) is unique, Lewis
doesn’t necessarily believe
in received wisdom. But he has man-
aged to find what works for him. He
encourages you – and anybody hop-
ing to operate at a high level in their
chosen field – to do the same.
 A S S I G N M E N T

Personal
Performance
Analysis

Dedicate a notebook to recording the ongoing

pursuit of your goals, both short- and long-term.
Use these pages to log setbacks you encounter,
as well as breakthroughs you experience, mak-
ing sure to detail the conditions – where you
were, who was there, how you felt, the steps you
took (or neglected) in preparing. When you’ve
filled the notebook, review its contents, looking
for patterns. Can you find a correlation between
certain factors and your wins? Your losses?
What changes could you make to increase your
chances of succeeding in the future?

26
V A L U I N G YOUR

PERSPECTIVE
Claiming your worth in order to unlock
the true power of individualism

27

Lewis has become more vocal about
social inequity in recent years,
promoting anti-racist messaging and
taking a knee in solidarity with
the Black Lives Matter movement,
inspiring other drivers on the
Formula 1 grid to do the same
Motorsport has been Lewis’s pas-
sion since childhood, in no small
part because it offered him a path to
claiming his self-worth – something
he struggled with in school, where
he was bullied and ostracised.
‘I found this love.…When I put
that helmet on, I could be whoever
I wanted to be,’ Lewis says. ‘It’s my
cape. I could be Superman. And
when I was in that kart, I was able to
do things that the others around
me weren’t able to do.’
 Committing to the Search.
Claiming your worth is an ongoing
project and it’s a challenge. But Lew-
is’s story suggests that it’s not only
possible – it’s essential. Before you
can strive for success and fulfilment,
you must find that place inside your-
self that feels certain of a central truth:
I am, and that is enough, and I can.
That certainty may come seren-
dipitously, as it did when Lewis hap-
pened to climb into a go-kart during
a family holiday and uncover his own
natural ability. Or it could be incum-
bent on you to court serendipity – to
put yourself in situations that invite
opportunity. The particulars aren’t
as important as the concept: If you’re
dedicated to the search, you’ll dis-
cover what confirms (and feeds)
your feelings of inherent value.
 Coping With Failure.
Knowing that you’re enough doesn’t
mean you’re ready to achieve great-
ness. Natural ability is only one tool,
the easiest one to grab. Desire is also
a tool; the willingness to learn is a
tool; the courage to fail is a tool. As
Lewis reminds you, succeeding
means being prepared to use these
tools, to accept knowledge, to
change what needs to be changed
and to remain open to experiences
that challenge you.
Remember, too, that Lewis spent
more than a decade climbing the lad-
der to Formula 1, frequently joining
new series. Sometimes, he won the
championship in his rookie season;
other times, he came in fifth or twen-
tieth. One year, he crashed so much
that he wondered whether he had
what it took to race professionally.
Lewis before the 2020 Styrian Grand
Prix in Spielberg, Austria, wearing
a custom helmet emblazoned with a
Black Lives Matter logo
Enduring multiple failures – espe-
cially those that feel so profound they
make you question your path – is
part of the process.
 Doing the Ongoing Work.
Claiming worth means continuing
to claim worth. People will doubt
you. Don’t let their negativity influ-
ence your interior voice. Instead,
find ways to reconnect with your
superpower, then reassess and
commit to reaffirming your confi-
dence. Make your worth into an
inexhaustible wellspring that’s
always at your disposal. Lewis
invokes the words of the American
poet and civil rights activist Maya
Angelou: ‘Nothing can dim the light
which shines from within.’
Of course, none of this is easy. But
it can be done. Here, Lewis offers
some advice: ‘The most important
thing that I’ve learned is investing in
you, investing in yourself – that’s not
about spending money on yourself,
it’s about taking care of yourself,
looking at what’s gonna benefit you
in the long run.’
29
 Turning Worth Into Strength.
Since his earliest days racing
go-karts, Lewis has been one of the
very few Black people – or the only
Black person – on his team. Taunts
and abuse followed him into motor-
sport’s highest ranks; when he made
his Formula 1 debut in 2007, fans
arrived at the circuit wearing racist
costumes. Lewis didn’t say anything.
Neither did his team or the race offi-
cials. The flip side of claiming your
worth, he now suggests, is accepting
that you might not be like anyone
else around you, including your
peers, and making the choice to
embrace yourself regardless.
‘If you feel like you don’t fit in, that’s
not a weakness. That’s a strength,’
Lewis emphasises. ‘It took me a long
time to realise, as a youngster, com-
ing through school and coming to
those kart races, that being different
was not a bad thing at all.’
 Continuing to Push.
Lewis spent years asking himself:
Why isn’t there more diversity in my
field? He’s become increasingly
focused on bringing that dialogue to
the forefront. During the 2020 Styr-
ian Grand Prix post-race ceremony,
Mercedes-AMG engineer Stephanie
Travers joined Lewis in the winner’s
circle to accept a trophy on behalf of
the team; in that moment, she made
history as the first Black woman to
ever set foot on a Formula 1 podium.
‘It’s the first time I’ve been up there
with anybody else of colour,’ Lewis says
of celebrating alongside Travers. At the
same time, commentary surrounding
the moment made him acknowledge
the work that lies ahead. ‘At one point,
someone said, “Oh, see? Diversity.”
And I was like, “You're kind of getting it.
But it’s still a long way to go.” ’
 THE HAMILTON COMMISSION
CHANGE IN MOTION Inside Lewis’s push to increase
diversity in racing
In 2019, when Lewis looked at the end-of-year photo for his
Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, he was struck by the lack
of people of colour. It fuelled his desire to improve rep-
resentation in racing’s top ranks and he soon formed The
Hamilton Commission; this special task force, working with
England’s Royal Academy of Engineering, launched a long-
term fact-finding mission ‘to understand the specific barri-
ers to the recruitment and progression of Black people
within U.K. motorsport’.
The Commission released its report in 2021, following
an intense, ten-month research process. Based on the
findings – which confirmed unequal expulsion rates
among schoolchildren and unsympathetic workplaces –
the Commission offers ten actionable recommendations
for Formula 1 to increase representation.
‘The ultimate goal is to make [motorsport] more diverse,
30
create a better pipeline for young people from Black back-
grounds to get into engineering and [science, technology,
maths and engineering] subjects,’ Lewis says.
Helping others to claim their worth is an important
aspect here – whether they end up in motorsport or not.
So, too, is a more blunt confrontation of the structural
issues that make this inner strength necessary. In the
report, Lewis offered up a powerful recollection of his own
secondary-school experience to drive home the point: ‘No
matter how hard I worked, I was told I wasn’t smart enough,
that I had no potential. At the time of releasing this report,
I’m a seven-time World Champion, holding the highest
number of wins, poles and podium finishes in the world of
Formula 1. I am the same boy who got told he’d never
achieve anything. The one thing that connects that boy
with me today is opportunity.’
R E F I N I N G THE

FORMULA
A few words on self-improvement

31

Driving a Formula 1 car might not be
your dream – and that’s okay!
Because the point of Lewis’s class
isn’t (necessarily) to prepare you for
the rigors of high-speed, wheel-to-
wheel competition. Rather, it’s to
explore the ways in which somebody
at the top of their field continually
rises to the challenge. Over the
course of his three decades in mot-
orsport, encompassing both
unprecedented success and heart-
breaking defeats, Lewis has contin-
ued to work on himself. Even now,
with his legacy firmly cemented, he’s
still courting this personal evolution,
ensuring that he remains competi-
tive and contented in his racing
career – and beyond. He’s learned
a few truths on his journey.
 Create Structure, Allow Rewards.
No matter your endeavour (or
where you are on that journey),
Lewis suggests laying out formal-
ised goals and focusing on disci-
pline. That doesn’t mean each day
needs to be regimented; you might
start small, designating a regular
time to practice your passion, habit-
ualising physical exercise or medi-
tation, or prescribing set hours for
sleep. It’s up to you. And it’s okay to
add incentives.
‘Staying on course, staying on tar-
get and giving yourself some sort of
reward at the end,’ Lewis says. ‘It
really helps to know that, at the end,
there’s something positive.’
 Replenish Yourself.
‘Recovery is something that I defi-
nitely neglected when I was younger,
because you always have energy and
you just get on with things,’ Lewis
admits. ‘But as you get older, if you
neglect those things – you start to
feel those with more injuries, tight-
ness throughout the body.’
For him, recovery can mean yoga
or pilates. It can also mean reflecting.
This is how we mentally process
events, evaluate them and, ideally,
glean meaning so that we do better
the next time around. At the conclu-
sion of each racing season, Lewis
works on himself and considers what
must be done to improve the follow-
ing season, even if he’s won another
World Championship.
 Listen to Your Body.
After educating himself on nutrition
and weaning himself off meat for six
months, Lewis now counts himself
as a devoted vegan. ‘There have
been a lot of positive effects in terms
of more consistent energy, more
prolonged energy, clearer thoughts,
just overall more efficient,’ he says.
‘I really did not envision just how
great it would be.’
Vegetarianism or veganism
might not be for you. But Lewis
believes that becoming more
attuned to what your body needs in
order to perform – in terms of diet
and beyond – is crucial to setting
yourself up for success. ‘What will
work for me won’t always necessar-
ily work for you,’ Lewis says. ‘It’s
about encouraging you to find what
works for you. You’re unique and
powerful and amazing. Believe in
yourself. This is what this is about.’
 A S S I G N M E N T

Create a
Self-Care Plan

Building on the knowledge gained from your

Personal Performance Analysis (see page 26),
create an overarching, holistic document to help
guide you through personal and professional
challenges, support your well-being and attain
your goals. It can encompass physical, spiritual,
psychological or relationship-based activities that
make you feel stronger. Keep your plan in a visible
space, like on the refrigerator, and practise the
activities regularly. Build in periodic re-assess-
ments (one month, three months, etc.) and keep
refining until you’re firing on all cylinders!

33
 CONTINUING
EDUCATION
Use the principles that Lewis
discusses during his class to curate
a well-rounded bookshelf
Study Your Idols.
The Life of Senna
by Tom Rubython (2004)
Decades after his untimely death, the
legacy of Brazil’s Ayrton Senna, the
three-time Formula 1 World Champion,
remains a source of endless fascination for both racing
fans and drivers, including Lewis. This deeply researched,
600-page tome provides a detailed look at Senna’s jour-
ney, including his disorienting arrival in Europe as a young
racer, his intense spirituality and philosophical approach
to driving and his place in the popular imagination of his
home country, where his triumphs on a global stage (and
regional efforts to reduce poverty) made him a hero.
Work to Create Change.
Long Walk to Freedom
by Nelson Mandela (1994)
Lewis, like millions of other people
around the world, was inspired by Nel-
son Mandela and his story: The son of a
regional tribal chief in South Africa, he took up the fight for
racial equality, spent twenty-seven years in prison for
doing so and, after his release, led negotiations to end
apartheid. He later became the first Black president of
South Africa, advocating for peaceful reconciliation
among the country’s citizens, regardless of colour, until his
death in 2013. His autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom,
is a modern classic.
34
Build Mental Toughness.
The Four Agreements
by don Miguel Ruiz (1997)
Drawing on principles and learnings
from ancient Mesoamerican culture,
the title of this bestselling guide
alludes to a set of pacts that you make with yourself: (1) Be
impeccable with your word, (2) Don’t take anything per-
sonally, (3) Don’t make assumptions and (4) Always do
your best. Top pro athletes have credited The Four Agree-
ments with helping them overcome fear of failure and criti-
cism; indeed, Lewis has cited the book as a resource to
which he turns when he needs to remain focused in the
face of scrutiny.
Bring Your Body Along.
The Heart of Yoga
by T. K. V. Desikachar (1999)
Stripped of pretence, the word
yoga means to yoke or unite,
referring to the union of the
human and divine consciousnesses. It’s a thoroughly per-
sonal journey – one that, in Western modernity, focuses on
controlled breathing while moving through a series of
physical poses. Lewis has come to rely on yogic exercise
(along with pilates) to improve his core strength and active
recovery. T. K. V. Desikachar’s essential volume offers a
no-nonsense entry point to yoga, going beyond the physi-
cal and encouraging self-care via self-discovery. It’s rec-
ommended for athletes and nonathletes alike.
35
You can’t change the past.
It’s behind you. All you can
do is prepare yourself
to shape the future.
LEWIS
 Credits
VARIOUS STILLS
Courtesy Backgrid; Getty Images;
Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited

VARIOUS FOOTAGE
Courtesy AP Archive; BBC Studios;
FORMULA 1® images © Formula One Administration
Limited 2007-2010 inclusive and Formula One
World Championship Limited 2011-2020 inclusive;
Getty Images; Lola Clips / ITV Archive;
Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited; Pond5

37