Lewis Hamilton's Still I Rise: anthem of those who never stopped fighting
Yesterday at 11:26 AM
Still I rise is written on the back of the man dressed in red in the Abu Dhabi paddock. Around him are dozens of photographers, but he keeps his head high and moves with confidence. Because that's what he's learned, because that's what he was forced to do.
Still I rise was said when he was a child, racing with a patched-up kart, built with his father's limited resources, while watching other kids around him with faster, more expensive cars. Peers who mocked him for the color of his skin, for the money he lacked, masking their envy as they watched him win, despite his difficulties. Because young Lewis didn't respond with words, but left his mark on the track.
Still I rise he had thought during the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix when he chose a crazy setup for his ART, spun out, and from last place won that race in GP2, putting him back in contention for the title. “The car is not illegal, it's just the driver's talent,” read a note from the race directors.
Still I rise he had muttered under his breath several times in 2007, when on track he fought more with his teammate than with rival teams, when the crowd still mimicked him for the color of his skin, when he ended up in the gravel in China, ending the great dream of winning a World Championship in his debut season. A bitter year that gave him the grit to fulfill his dream 12 months later in the rain of Brazil, the perfect setting for a certain Ayrton Senna, his role model.
Still I rise he had promised during his early days at Mercedes, when the car wasn't performing as hoped, when the voices in his head repeated that he was crazy for leaving a known path for an unknown adventure, following Niki Lauda's call. But perhaps he had seen something, because the next year that signing gave him his second World Championship. And in the next one, his third. The fourth took a little longer, delayed by the sibling rivalry with his longtime friend, Nico Rosberg, who extracted the vital energy that turned him into a war machine. 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, titles won with precision and strength, a unique journey that allowed him to write his name alongside Michael Schumacher's. Years in which Lewis grew, became a man, and found his voice for causes beyond the track.
Still I rise he had told himself on that night in Abu Dhabi, when he was a step away from the historic feat of winning eight World Championships. But destiny had other plans, a cruel game that made him lose the dream of a lifetime. The gods of racing wanted him to face dark months, battling with himself, with the thought of retirement, with underperforming cars, and media criticism. Dark words and thoughts swept away by the light of a dramatic victory, worthy of the best movie: after two years of waiting, Lewis was crowned once again king of Silverstone, in front of an ecstatic crowd. And there is something poetic about the fact that the British Grand Prix was his last victory with Mercedes, celebrated with all honors.
Because Still I rise is what he told himself when he signed the contract to join Ferrari starting in 2025. A very tough challenge for what could become a story for future generations. The final swan song, amidst a parade of Tifosi, criticisms for every mistake, and internal challenges with the new generation. On the cake, there will also be 40 candles, but Lewis Hamilton's eyes remain like those of a debutant realizing a dream. One last dance to enter legend.
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