Lewis Hamilton has often spoken about the sacrifices that his father made during his childhood in order to ensure that Lewis could elevate himself to become an F1 driver in the future.The move took the F1 fraternity by surprise, because of the people involved, the history they shared with each other, and more so because of the timing of the move. Hamilton and Anthony took different paths just 15 days prior to the opening race of the 2010 season, or at least that is when the decision was made public.
Earlier it was believed that the decision was mutual and perhaps Anthony had asked Hamilton to move on as he wasn’t adept enough to handle the pressures of the F1 world. However, Hamilton revealed that it was in fact he who initiated the conversation and it was he who wanted his dad gone with respect to a managerial role. The Brit explained that his Dad was being phased out of the role.
“Dad will miss being here,” said Hamilton, “But it was me who initiated the break. He’s got other things to focus on, but I don’t want my dad to be my manager anymore. I will at some stage have a new manager, but I am in no rush. He’s still taking care of a lot of stuff, but he’s slowly backing out.” he added. Hamilton explained that the split was a difficult decision, with the communication part surrounding it is all the more difficult for obvious reasons.
However, he explained that the decision ultimately had to be conveyed as Hamilton wanted to take greater control of his life. “He tried to take it as a dad,” said Hamilton. “We had sat down with several different managers over the past three years, yet never felt quite comfortable with them. But at some stage I felt that I would be able to start taking on quite a few of my own things. “He has started to take on quite a lot of his own things and he wants to be successful in a different way in his own life. He is very determined.” he added.
Hamilton took a romantic vacation prior to the 2010 season, something that critics believed his father wouldn’t have quite allowed if he were still his manager. But Hamilton functions in a way of his own, one that suits him mentally and physically. He was happy with the vacation and felt it would help him rejuvenate before a grueling season ahead. “Some people will see it that way, but I don’t,’ said Hamilton.
“I do what I need to do to prepare myself in the way I feel is best for me. “A lot of times in your career you are so strict with yourself that you do things that are maybe better for your physical condition but not, perhaps, for your mental approach,’ he said. “I took the view that I would be better prepared all round if I went out to LA. So I did. ‘It was brilliant and I had a really nice weekend
“We went out, ate good food and just relaxed. I think that’s the key. Sometimes you need that. I had two hectic weeks of testing and media. The story broke about me and my dad. So much had gone on. It was good to switch off, turn my phone off. It was like a different life for a couple of days and coming here I feel better than ever.” he concluded.
Hamilton wanted to get out of the shadow of his father and more importantly did not want his father to sometimes take decisions for Hamilton as a father. He wanted a professional manager out there, one that didn’t quite interfere with Lewis’ personal life and one whose sole goal was to help him succeed professionally(while keeping subtle tabs on his personal life)
In a recent interview before the United States GP, Lewis revealed that his father used to work multiple jobs in a day so as to fund Hamilton’s growth in motorsport. When Hamilton joined McLaren in 2007, Anthony (his father) was his manager and continued to be by his side until the start of the 2010 season, when he was ‘sacked’ by his son.
