Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s most divisive figure

Love him or hate him, you can’t argue that he’s fast.

Never has a figure divided the opinion of Formula 1 fans like Lewis Hamilton. Despite his clear talent, with 5 World Championships under his belt and continually out performing his team mates during his decade-plus in the sport, he still garners a lot of back-lash.

Although you only have to turn to his social media accounts to see that he has legions of followers, with approx. 4 million followers on both Instagram and Twitter respectively. Not to mention his infamous Snapchat account, which makes mainstream media headlines on a weekly basis, they just go to show the public want what Lewis Hamilton has to offer.

The Jet-Setter

It’s this public persona however, that seems to peeve the hard-core F1 fans so much. He doesn’t cut the traditional mould of a professional racing driver. While others fill their social media platforms with training regimes and technical analysis, Lewis is seen hanging out with celebrities, attending award and fashion shows; and frequenting a seemingly endless run of alcohol-fuelled parties.

It’s potentially this ability to live the jet-set lifestyle (quite literally, Lewis has his own Candy-Apple-red private jet) and still absolutely destroy the opposition on track that grinds the gears of die-hard Formula One fans most.

Is it just Envy?

Anyone who obsessively follows the F1 circus would sell their souls to become an F1 racing driver. It’s a sport that takes a lot of hard work and determination, over many years to even have a chance at knocking on its door.

The fact Lewis is seen on Snapchat, drinking Cristal straight from the bottle at a Vegas VIP party, with a model under his arm, just hours after dominantly winning the American Grand Prix, might just be too bitter for most to handle.

Love him or hate him, while he continues to perform on track, you can’t tell him to stop.

-John Quinn