Lewis Hamilton: "Formula 1 has become a club for billionaire kids"

Lewis Hamilton is the highest earning driver in the world and the biggest star in Formula 1. However, the seven-time world champion does not think he would have entered Formula 1 so quickly in this day and age, thanks in part to his background.

Normal working class family

Hamilton joined Formula 1 from McLaren in 2007 and a year later became world champion for the first time. Six more titles would follow and the end is not yet in sight. If he were to emerge as a driver now, things might have gone very differently, the British driver thinks."Growing up in a normal working class family, I could never be here," Hamilton told the Spanish newspaper AS about his background. "The guys you fight against have so much more money."

Hamilton grew up in the Stevenage area of Hertfordshire. His father had to take on various jobs in order to fund his son's motor racing career. At 13, Hamilton was picked up by McLaren and Mercedes who further funded his career towards Formula One.

Club for billionaire children

Money plays much too big a role nowadays, Hamilton thinks. "Formula 1 has become a club for billionaire kids." Of the current grid, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin are sons of billionaires. "We need to work on changing that so it becomes more accessible to everyone."