Dear Lewis,
In a year of dark days with Ferrari, Q1 in Vegas among, if not the darkest, a day where you may feel most frustrated and alone, I am here to tell you, you are not alone.
I do not need to tell you to remember who you are, your greatness was not by accident. I do need to remind you that you have an army of fans across the globe, numbering in the millions that are standing in the arena with you. They feel, breathe, bleed, and hurt right alongside you, but their support is unwavering. They feel and share your frustration, they feel and share your disappointment, but they do not love and appreciate you any less, it is the polar-opposite. They lean in and love you more, they lean in and support more, they lean in a defend you more with a passion that knows no boundaries.
The boy from Stevenage did not become the greatest F1 driver ever by accident. There is a determination there that makes you different, a cut above, better than; your fans, racing fans, causal and ardent alike know that you will eventually hook up all 3 sectors at Ferrari and you will eventually get this right.
As you said recently, “I back my team. I back myself. I will not give up, not now, not then, not ever.” That fighting spirit is what separates you and makes you the legend you are.
Be mindful of the fact that it is okay for things not to be okay right now; but do not forget to give yourself the room and grace to feel the weight of this moment when things are most challenging and be alright with it – “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. Remember that these difficult days are not your final destination – it is a blimp in your storied career, a pit stop on your journey to bigger and better things. You have survived 100% of your worst days including being blatantly robbed in front of the world in Abu Dhabi 21, it being among the worst. The strength and grace that carried you then is still within you now – “And Still I Rise”
You Mr. Hamilton brought us the joy of 7 world driving titles. You brought us Canada 2007, signaling your intent and arrival to the world – since then you have left no doubt! You sir brought us the 2008 British Grand Prix in delivering a dominant performance in torrential rain. You sir brought us Germany 2018 with a brilliant recovery drive from a poor qualifying stint. You sir brought us Hungary 2019, pitting for a second time with about 20 laps to go and systematically chasing down Verstappen’s 20-second lead and passing him with 3 laps to go in a stunning comeback. You sir gave us a wet-weather masterclass to secure your seventh title in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. You sir, when it looked the darkest showed your resilience and brilliance and gave us the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix in overcoming a disqualification and sprint race penalties to win the race and keep you champion hopes alive – I could go on but you get the point. simply put, you are one of one!!
It might seem like tough times are holding you down for the moment, but you know and we know that tough times do not last forever in house Hamilton, what you know and what we know is that tough people do last. It is in their darkest moments that the great ones often show who they are and find true strength. The light within you can never be dimmed – And still I Rise.
Get up!!
