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Britain and Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his remarkable Formula One title surge began with a 'kick up the backside' from his father.
As the Brit prepares for the penultimate round of the world championship at Interlagos, Hamilton is within touching distance of his second drivers' championship.
But Hamilton revealed it took his father, Anthony, to help him re-focus after he lost the Belgium Grand Prix, The BBC reported.
Hamilton said that rather than feeling hard done by, his dad always told him to turn negatives into positives. So that's what he does.
He added that when he used to kart, his dad used to say 'take no prisoners'.
Hamilton added that his dad came to Monza and repeated the ‘mantra’.
He added that it's not that he wasn't doing that already but it was almost like ‘a kick up the backside’.
And as Hamilton nears a seminal moment in his career, moving above a host of one-title wonders, Hamilton spoke of the debt he owes to his family, especially his dad and step-mum, Linda.
He said that his family sacrificed their whole way of living to get him to where he is today. He added that people turn on the television and see a Formula One driver, good sunglasses, nice watch, diamond studs and a nice plane but they have no clue what they went through to get there.
Hamilton threw light on his father’s modest beginnings saying his ‘dad was not wealthy in those days and added that he slept on a bed in the living room made from putting the sofa and a chair together”.
“Dad did four jobs to earn 5 pounds here and 10 pounds there, and rather than use it to go shopping they would buy food for a karting weekend,” Hamilton revealed.
Hamilton also said that it makes him really proud to realise what they have achieved, and added that so far this has been the best year of his life, as he never thought this success would come so fast with Mercedes.