MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton spent 15 minutes on Thursday, just feeling like a kid again.

Hamilton spoke to a group of 10 local children hosted by the F1 Miami Grand Prix, answering questions about his childhood, his workout and racing routine, why he’s leaving Mercedes-AMG Petronas for Ferrari, and the sole mission he wants to complete as a F1 driver.

Hamilton shared he wants to win his eighth F1 championship, and break his tie with Michael Schumacher as F1’s most successful driver. More important, he wants to do it because he’s been the only Black driver in F1 since 2007, and it doesn’t appear another one will join in the near future.

“No driver in history has ever had eight – so that’s what I’m chasing,” Hamilton told the children and their four chaperones.                                                                                                                                           

“And at the moment, there’s no other Black driver coming. So, I feel like I owe it to myself, my community, my parents, because there’s not another [Black driver] coming in the short term.

“I really want to work hard for us. That’s what I’m focused on.”

Hamilton’s message, which ended with a smile for the children, resonated for good reason: The Miami Grand Prix held at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium campus is the only F1 race held in a predominantly African American community.

About 150 elementary school to college aged students from the Miami Gardens and South Florida community were treated to a VIP behind-the-scenes day at the racetrack Thursday, an annual occurrence since the first Miami F1 race in 2022.

Hamilton’s most impactful message to the children was his habit of positive self-reinforcement and manifestation. He keeps daily reminders of giving “100 percent effort” and “never going to give up.”

“‘I can' should be in your vocabulary every single day,” Hamilton told the children.

The lucky 10 students who got to meet and pose for photos with Hamilton learned he could lose up to 10 pounds during a race because of the heat inside his race suit and cockpit, and his routine of taking an ice bath before and after a race to manage his body temperature.

Hamilton shared how his love for racing began, watching F1 races with his father, then becoming a go-cart driver himself when he was 5 years old.

“Since I was 5, I knew I wanted to either be a Formula One driver or be Superman,” Hamilton said. “I want to have superpowers.”

When asked about his move to Ferrari next year, Hamilton said:

“I feel like now I want a new challenge,” he said. “It’s like going to a new school. I’m very excited about that. But I’m going to miss my family [with Mercedes].”

All 150 students experienced a walk on pit late, a tour of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team garage and the support paddock for F1 ACADEMY, an all-female racing series launched by F1 last year.

Students ages 16 and up also participated in a “Business of F1 Community Workshop” with guest speakers like F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff, Hamilton’s nonprofit Misson 44 CEO Jason Arthur and Miami GP president Tyler Epp to share their experiences in motorsport from a business standpoint.

The students came from Miami Gardens and South Florida schools, from groups from SEEK Foundation (Seeking Education Empowers Knowledge), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Fab Lab, Girl Power Rocks, college interns from the MIA Academy and students from Miami Dade College – all placing an emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs.

SEEK founder Anike Sakariyawo has taken some of her students to North Carolina to compete in F1’s In Schools program to compete with other children designing, making, and racing miniature F1 cars. She was elated 10 of her kids got to spend time with Hamilton.

“My mission has always been to expose kids to quality STEM that reflects the real world. To have them actually see it in person, and meet one of their superheroes in Formula 1 is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said.

“It will translate to what they’ll be able to do based on their experiences. It creates endless possibilities. It creates hope for the future. They will be the next generation of what will happen in the future.”

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