Lewis Hamilton admits F1 left him "quite miserable" and how it led to his "F1" movie role

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that when he achieved his childhood dream of racing in Formula 1, it left him feeling “quite miserable”. The comedown after an emotional race weekend saw him hitting rock bottom – something that pushed him to open his life up to experiences beyond racing, including being a producer on the F1 movie.

Speaking in an interview with Vanity Fair, the seven-time world champion explained how the expectation placed on him to focus solely on racing left him struggling.

“I don’t really know where it’s come from. The problem is, when you grow up in racing, you are put in a box,” Hamilton said. “If you listen to people in our sport, they say, ‘Just race.’ That’s all they want you to do.

“When I was young, I enjoyed racing. But when I got to Formula 1, I was quite miserable. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve reached my dream. I should be the happiest ever.’ But when you’d come away the Monday after the race, your adrenaline drops like coming down a roller-coaster ride. You hit ground bottom, almost ’cause your energy’s depleted and, apart from working out, there’s nothing to fill the void afterward.”

Damson Idris at the World Premiere of F1 The Movie

Watching other athletes, the Ferrari driver became determined to build himself other careers surrounding his one in racing, so when he eventually does retire from F1, he’s able to ‘sidestep’ into something where he’s already built momentum.

“I often read stories of people focused so much on their career and competing that they hadn’t planned for what was next. When they stopped, it took them a long time to figure out what they wanted to do,” he explained. “So for me, it was really about trying. I try every single thing just ’cause that’s what life’s about.

“I wanted to set things up so that when I do stop, it’s not downhill, and I’m sidestepping onto the next thing that I love. Film and music are my two biggest loves. I can’t believe that my first movie is the F1 movie, to be honest. I’ll be a bit like Quentin Tarantino. I’ll be very careful with the steps and making sure it’s quality rather than quantity.”

Hamilton is a producer on F1, which was shot around real grand prix weekends with support from Apple Original Films. Brad Pitt starred alongside Damson Idris, and direction came from Joseph Kosinski. The driver’s passion for cinema helped him build this part of his life.

“My favourite movie is Coming to America,” he continued. “I love Eddie Murphy: Trading Places, Coming to America, that’s my Christmas every year. I love the play on the challenges of being Black in Trading Places. Cool Runnings was always a movie that inspired me as a kid.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

“I love Scarface. Interstellar is definitely a masterpiece in every aspect—the writing, the visuals. I really love what [Denis] Villeneuve is doing with the Dune movies. I’m trying to read the books to try to see where he’s going, but there’s so many. It’s really impressive, the visuals and what Hans has done with the music. You could just close your eyes and listen to the album because it’s so moving.

“I love La La Land. I originally wasn’t sure whether I’d love musicals. That one really set me off, so I try to go to Broadway shows now whenever I’m in New York. But the original Lion King is always my favourite.”

Discussions around a sequel to the F1 movie are already happening, unsurprising after the film became a global hit with a gross of over $631million. Hamilton’s part in the follow-up is currently unconfirmed, but he has been involved in these discussions.

Photos from Qatar GP – PracticeMax Verstappen, Red Bull Racing