Lewis Hamilton has admitted he recently talked with Serena and Venus Williams while they were shooting the biopic ‘King Richard’. The movie, which stars Will Smith, details the duo’s rise to tennis icons.
And Hamilton has admitted he found the picture to be inspiring, while also insisting fans didn’t entirely understand the hard work and commitment that goes into becoming an athlete.
Starring Independence Day and Men in Black actor Smith, it’s a tale about the hard work that shaped Serena and Venus Williams into becoming the sporting icons they are today.
At the time of writing it has a score of 90 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, while the notoriously difficult to please Metacritic gave it 76 per cent.
Hamilton has now admitted he’s seen the movie and believes that, after talking with Serena and Venus, sporting fans don’t entirely understand the hard work that goes into becoming an athlete of the highest calibre.
“I did see it and I was really fortunate actually during the process to be speaking to Serena and Venus about it and how excited they were about the documentary,” he said.
“I know he has had awards and stuff but I was really moved by the story.”All of us have watched those two, both of them rise and see their success and trials and tribulations and like all of us, we very much don’t understand what it has taken to get there.
“People that tune in probably just think they are the best, not understanding the commitment and the time and the sacrifice they have to put in and so it is amazing that Will was able to highlight that.”
On his own family, the Mercedes star added: “Behind everyone who is successful, there is always somebody. “I can relate to it because I have an amazing family who, without them, I would not be here today.
“I hope at some stage I will be able to do something similar.”It is inspiring for families out there. I am sure anyone here who has kids wants the best for their kids and wants to create the best opportunity and push them in the right way but not too much.
“That was a great showing of how you can do that.” Hamilton himself is currently working on a documentary being produced by Apple.
But when asked who would play him in a movie about himself the Stevenage-born racer said he had ‘no idea’, though did admit he was inspired by the way Smith played Richard Williams in King Richard.
“I have this documentary we are working on and you have to do everything at the right time,” he said. “The documentary is the current focus, stories are there to be told and it is important. There are lots that can be learned for people. “You can affect and create a positive impact.
“If you can have one positive impact on one person or one family, that could be amazing. “One day I will perhaps try and do the same maybe.
“I am very inspired by how Will did it with his team and with those two icons. I am really proud of him. Maybe one day.” Meanwhile, Hamilton endured a nightmare afternoon on Saturday in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Speaking after he failed to qualify for Q2, he said: “It’s probably going to be a so-so race, it’s probably not going to be that great.”Maybe I’ll start from the pitlane and change the car again, make sure it doesn’t handle the way it just did.
“So much can happen. But I just apologise to my team – everyone worked so hard, and then when you don’t deliver for them, it’s gutting.”On his vehicle casing him issues, he added: “The car just wasn’t underneath me.
“It was just difficult to drive all of a sudden, way more difficult than ever before. “I just didn’t feel the car underneath me in qualifying. Struggled with balance, the car was nervous, so was just nowhere.”
