Apart from being renowned as a Formula 1 racer, 7x world champion Lewis Hamilton is also famous for his fashion sense and lifestyle choices. During a recent interaction with Mercedes-AMG fans, the 38-year-old racer spoke about his tattoo of the late pop star Michael Jackson.
Hamilton was introduced to the world of tattoos at a young age after his sister married a tattoo artist. The British racer began his journey with body ink with a big cross on his back. Since then, the Mercedes-AMG driver has added a total of 15 unique designs on his body. As per Hamilton, each tattoo has a personal story behind it and highlights his journey.
The tattoo of the late pop star Michael Jackson on his right leg is the latest addition. It showcases the ‘King of Pop’ in an iconic pose, doing a toe stand. Hamilton spoke about the same at a recent fan interaction during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
“It’s not new, it’s the last one I got, but I need to get it touched up because it faded a little bit,” Hamilton said, replying to a fan.
The aforementioned interaction was shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Lewis Hamilton talks about his Michael Jackson tattoo: “It’s not new, it’s the last one I got, but I need to get it touched up because it faded a little bit.” ☺️
📹 | @nni_zlkfl pic.twitter.com/GO002bMPLT
— deni (@fiagirly) September 25, 2024
However, Hamilton’s most adored body art is the one on his left shoulder. It depicts his father holding him up and throwing him up in the air in a playful way, a fond memory for the driver from his childhood. He said in an interview with GQ in 2018:
“It was the single most special moment that I would have with my dad because he was a very, very serious man. Very, very tough. But in this particular moment, that’s when he was the happiest.”
Here’s a look at the aforementioned tattoo from an image posted by Lewis Hamilton on Instagram in 2021.
“Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black” – Lewis Hamilton criticized FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over alleged racist comment
Apart from Max Verstappen’s unusual punishment, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was also involved in a controversy during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Lewis Hamilton criticized the FIA top boss for his allegedly racist comment.
During an interview with Autosport, Ben Sulayem claimed that F1 drivers should differentiate themselves from ‘rappers’. He said:
“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not that. That’s them and we are (us).”
While Hamilton supported Ben Sulayem’s concerns over excessive swearing, the British racer criticized his comments. He said (via Sky Sports F1):
“With what he said, I don’t like how he expressed it. Saying rappers is very stereotypical as most rappers are black. It really kind of points towards ‘we are not like them’, so I think those were the wrong choice of words and there’s a racial element there. I agree things need clearing up a bit but it is also good to have some emotion as we are not robots.”
Lewis Hamilton has been a supporter of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign and has been actively involved with Formula 1’s diversity commission. His commission has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to involve more young people from black backgrounds in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.