Lewis Hamilton was born to Anthony Hamilton and Carmen Larbalestier in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Hamilton lived with his mother and half-sisters Nicola and Samantha after his parents divorced in 1987 until the age of twelve, when he decided to move in with his father, stepmother Linda, and stepbrother Nicolas.
He became interested in motors after receiving an electric model car as a gift from his father in 1991. Recognizing Lewis' exceptional racing talent, Anthony went into debt to get him into a kart and served as his son's manager until 2010.
He was granted honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022. In November 2007, he appeared as a guest on Top Gear, recording a time of 1:44:7 (in the wet) and 1:42:9 (in the dry) on the program circuit. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time.
Together with Michael Schumacher, he is the most successful Formula One champion in history, having won seven world championships: in 2008 with McLaren and in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 with Mercedes. He is an Arsenal supporter.
He has been a vegan since 2017 and has been involved in initiatives to protect the environment and animals since that time.
Lewis Hamilton: balancing animal welfare and sensational earnings
Between the contract with Mercedes and the sponsors, the seven-time F1 world champion would earn around 63 million euros per year, or more than 5 million per month.
The British driver's assets would be worth approximately 285 million dollars, a figure achieved in part due to record sponsorships obtained with Sony, Monster Energy, Police, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, Bose, and L'Oréal.
The vegan athlete has previously stated that animal cruelty "breaks his heart."
Hamilton posted a video of various animals on their way to slaughter on his Instagram account. "This is the world we currently live in," he wrote to his 14.3 million followers, "where humans believe that an animal's life is worth less than one of our own."
"The food you buy and eat at home or in restaurants today comes from places like this," he added. "This is why I became vegan: to oppose this barbaric behavior and slaughter of millions of animals."
"To me, this is no different than the slaughter of millions of people over the years during the war; it is unacceptable, and we must work together to change this," he continued.
It's not the first time the athlete has spoken out against animal cruelty on social media. He posted an image of a donkey pulling a cart on his Instagram Stories last year.
"I just wish I could be there to give this beautiful animal a hug, take him away from this pain, and bring light into their lives," Hamilton wrote in the caption of the post. "How can someone do these things to other beings in such a cruel world?" [It] causes me so much heartache."
Hamilton switched to a plant-based diet in 2017 after seeing the documentary "What The Health," which examines the relationship between diet and disease. Following the switch, the athlete declared that he would never eat meat again, claiming that he felt "the best I've ever felt in my life."
While health concerns influenced his initial decision to avoid animal products, the athlete has since become passionate about opposing all forms of animal cruelty.
Last year, he shared a post criticizing Iceland's government for announcing that it would allow whale hunting for at least another five years, allowing the legal slaughter of up to 2,130 baleen whales.
The Global Society makes up a community that shares the same goals. Such a society becomes stronger when people support and praise each other. it is also beneficial to see that better-known or more influential members use their high profile to raise awareness for the achievement of the SDGs.