Lewis Hamilton made one behind the scenes change at McLaren after winning his first F1 title

Follow us on Google Discover

It’s hard to think for the fans who were around 18 years ago that it has been so long since Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula 1 title.

Nowadays, both his driving and personality have transformed completely. Hopes of an eighth drivers’ championship still exist, but are slim after the completion of his first season with Ferrari.

Hamilton won’t give up on winning just yet, though. Now aged 41, his hunger and desire to win burns just as brightly as it ever has.

Nowadays, the McLaren team that gave him his first chance is now back to winning ways too, and with the 2026 F1 regulations dawning, everything, including the cars, is starting to give more of a 2008 vibe.

Has Lewis Hamilton already won his last F1 race?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Hamilton would ‘walk away’ from Ferrari if Christian Horner was hired to replace Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman is under some pressure now after failing to deliver over the last three seasons.

David Coulthard rates Max Verstappen over Hamilton already, despite having three fewer titles and a lot less experience to his name.

READ MORE: How Charles Leclerc could now secure Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari future after slow 2025 start

Lewis Hamilton vowed to ‘relax’ and explore after winning his first F1 title with McLaren

Michael Schumacher was ‘positively surprised’ by Hamilton after he left McLaren at the end of 2012 to join Mercedes. We now know that it was the start of something special.

Following his very first success back in 2008, Hamilton vowed to make a change to his lifestyle and approach to racing in a bid to stay relaxed.

Speaking to Sky News at pre-season testing in 2009, he admitted that he would explore more cities throughout the season, rather than lock himself away in his hotel.

“When I got to the races [in 2008], I never left,” he said. “I never went to the city, I never looked, I never once went out to dinner the whole year, at a race track.

“I always stayed in my hotel room, and I had dinner every night in my room. It was just the way I prepared, but I’m just saying that this year, I’m going to relax more. I’m world champion, I can enjoy it.

“However, I’m more determined to win than I ever have [been] because it’s a comfortable feeling, rather than a pressured feeling.”

How did Lewis Hamilton’s F1 title defence go in 2009?

After winning the title at the last corner of the last race in 2008, it was always going to be hard for the following season to deliver the same level of hype.

It threw up a surprise in the form of Brawn, and new British champion Jenson Button, but only after some of the historic frontrunners faltered.

Both McLaren and Ferrari had fairly miserable campaigns by their own standards, which involved reigning champion Hamilton failing to finish higher than fourth in each of the first nine races.

In the two seasons prior, he had been on the podium at least five times throughout the first nine events – a big downturn in form.

Things improved around the summer break, and Hamilton went on to win two races, but 2009 still went down as one of the most difficult seasons of his career.