Hamilton Reveals Childhood Moment That Made Him an Arsenal Fan After Long-Awaited Title Win
Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix paddock on Thursday carrying rather more than the usual pre-race weight. On May 19, Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions with a game to spare, ending a 22-year wait – and for Hamilton, it wasn’t just another football result scrolling past on a phone screen. Speaking ahead of the Montreal weekend, the Ferrari driver was spoke about what the moment meant to him on a deeply personal level.
“I think for like for everyone very emotional, I shed a tear to be honest because I remember I was five years old um and I used to play in the local in Stevenage in Peartree way, used to play around the corner football with friends. And to be, you know, I was the only black kid in the area and out of the people that I was playing with, and I remember trying to fit in and all of them supported different, West Ham and Tottenham and Manchester. So I was bouncing between all these when I was like four or five years old dependent on who I was with.
” The origin of his Arsenal love, it turns out, came with a bit of fraternal persuasion. “And my sister, I remember exactly like the, I messaged her the other day like she was walking me home and I told her, she asked me what team I supported and she she gave me a dead arm back then, you know she gave me a little dig in my arm and says you have to support Arsenal. So we had a laugh yesterday about it but um and then we’ve just, it’s we’ve had so many near close moments and to finally get it, you know it was wow, a lot of emotion came up for me and as I’m sure for so many people.
” A 22-Year Wait That Hit Close to Home The last time Arsenal won the title, Hamilton was a 19-year-old aspiring racer competing in Formula 3. Arsenal’s success this season follows three consecutive years finishing as runners-up, including 2023/24 when Manchester City edged them out by just two points. Years of near-misses don’t make the eventual payoff smaller – they make it considerably larger.
Hamilton, never one to undersell a feeling, made his appreciation for Mikel Arteta’s project clear: “Just so happy and proud of the of the team and um obviously Arsene was was great. I think the direction they’ve gone in the past couple of years has been just fantastic, so a lot, very inspired by what they’ve done, really really proud of the team. And I think they can go from strength to strength from here and only get stronger.