Lewis Hamilton has revealed it feels surreal to be closing in on a third Formula One world championship.
Hamilton moved 28 points clear of his closest rival Nico Rosberg following a flawless lights-to-flag victory in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Consecutive championships would see Hamilton emulate his hero Ayrton Senna by winning the title on three occasions.
Hamilton is also just two victories shy of matching Senna’s 41 grand prix victories and his win in Belgium marked his 80th career podium, the same tally Senna achieved before he was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
“I remember watching the races when I was five, and I remember the first time driving a go-kart, watching Ayrton and one day wanting to be like him or do something similar to what he has done,” Hamilton said.
“To think I am fighting for my third world title, which he had, and I’ve got the same amount of podiums… it is almost like a crazy dream that I am eventually going to wake up from and find out that I am working at McDonald’s or a dustbin driver or whatever.”
Hamilton has barely put a foot wrong this season in his bid to become the first British driver to successfully defend an F1 title.
His superiority over Rosberg in qualifying this season has seen him secure 10 pole positions from 11 races. And a chant of “Lewis, Lewis” bellowed out beneath him as he collected his sixth winner’s trophy of the season on Sunday.
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“I remember being here in 1996 after I won a karting championship,” said Hamilton recalling a visit to the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit with his father
Anthony when he was 11.
“I came here with my dad and we were nobodies walking through the paddock – probably the only black people walking through the paddock – hoping people would notice.
“Yesterday I saw a spitting image of me and my dad, although the kid doesn’t race, but a black family, a dad and his son, who looked a similar age to when I came here.
“Standing out there I saw us in them. That was us waiting and hoping that a driver would walk past to get a picture, so I went over to spend a bit of time with them.
“I remember when I was here, people like Eddie Irvine walked straight past me even though I asked for a picture. I remembered from that moment that I never wanted to do that.”
Much was made of Hamilton’s globetrotting antics during Formula One’s four-week summer break. After his Hungary horror show, in which he crawled over the line in sixth despite starting from pole, the 30-year-old enjoyed time in Colorado, Barbados and New York.
But with the Italian GP less than a fortnight away, does Hamilton intend to curb his travelling plans?
“If I go home I will die of boredom. I like being in different places and seeing different people so for sure I’ll be doing a bit of travelling.”
