A Personal Conversation With IWC Ambassador And Now Five Time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton

I first saw Lewis Hamilton race in the 2007 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during his rookie season. Yet, even eleven years later, I can still vividly recall how Hamilton outpaced his then teammate Fernando Alonso to gain his second win in Formula One. It was an impressive showing, to be sure, but little did any of us know, we were witnessing the start of a career that, in just over a decade, would result in 71 wins and now five F1 World Championships.
 

Before the start of the 2018 United States Grand Prix, IWC hosted an intimate dinner for invited press and retailers. Hamilton graciously stopped by the soiree and made a point to interact with each of the guests personally. He took wrist shots, which he shared with his 1.7 million Instagram followers, and made it a point to have personal conversations with each of us.
 

I also had the opportunity to sit down with Hamilton for an interview. Nothing was off-limits in our conversation. And I must say that, for a man who continually faces media scrutiny, both on and off the track, Hamilton was friendly, intelligent, and cool as a cucumber. I hope you enjoy.
 

Josh Shanks:  Lewis, it’s an absolute honor to meet you. I’m a racing nut at heart, but I write about watches by day, so this is really cool for me.

Lewis Hamilton: Thank you for having me.

JS:  You’ve had great success here in Austin – winning the US Grand Prix five times – and great success in the US market. What, for you, is so special about Austin and the US market?

LH: I grew up dreaming of coming to the US. From watching movies and seeing New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, I always dreamed of one day coming to visit the place. I always dreamed about coming to the US. And actually, when I did come, I fell in love with the place. When I came out here, my first race was in 2007, in Indianapolis, which was incredible.
 

JS: I was at that race!

LH: Yeah, cool! Since then, in 2012, I drove in my first race here [in Austin], and it just seemed to go well, and since then, I’ve won five out of the six or something like that. I don’t think it particularly has any correlation with being that it’s the US that I really like. It’s just a good track.
 

The food is great here, the city is incredible, and there’s a great ambiance and atmosphere. And it just so happens that they built a really good track. Because, when they build new tracks, a lot of them don’t have character, and you can’t overtake. But not in Austin. It’s always been good to me.

And it’s a big market actually for me here. I have to say I think [Americans] like my story. Americans like these kinds of stories. I mean, look at how many movies there are about inspirational stories about coming from nothing.
 

JS: It’s the American dream.

LH: Exactly! So I think, I am always trying to convey that message. Because, what I think my dad has done, being a single black parent and not knowing what to do in England, I think people here, white or black, can relate to coming from an ordinary background.
 

JS: I saw the Bryant Gumbel documentary from 2017, and it was phenomenal. I had no idea of your background.

LH: Yeah, and that’s the thing, I am barely scratching the surface here in America. Now and then, I bump into people, and they’re like, “Oh, I had no idea!” But [when] I also tell them about the car, they’re like, “I didn’t know what Formula 1 was. Is that NASCAR?” It is a slow process, but it’s going well.
 

JS: Switching to watches, from your perspective, how did the IWC partnership come about?

LH: When I signed with the team in 2013, IWC was already a partner. So, when I joined Mercedes, they asked me, “Are you into watches?” And I said I love watches. And then I got to do something with IWC. Afterward, I went to Schaffhausen. I went to see how watches are made. I am really interested in how things are produced in general. So to go behind-the-scenes and see how long it takes to develop a watch – how many pieces, for example, are in a watch – that blew my mind. From that visit, it actually fired up my love for watches even more. Because naturally, I always had watches, but I hadn’t yet realized how much work had gone into making them.
 

JS: That was going to be my next question. What was your first nice watch?

LH: Honestly, my first nice watch was a £19 watch that I got when I was in high school. And bloody everybody wore the exact same clothing, and I hated my uniform. But I wanted a watch. A lot of friends had these watches, and I wanted a watch that looked classic, so I went to a shop and bought this one for £19.

It had a fake leather strap, and it was silver on the sides and gold – I think it was a rose gold bezel with a blue face. And it looked elegant. So I walked around school with it on and my sleeve up and everything. I felt very proud.
 

JS: As we know, racing and timekeeping are linked, but how do you maintain such consistency day in and day out? How do you stay so consistent?

LH: Oh jeez, you know, it just comes down to practice. I mean, I’ve been doing this since I was eight years old. I mean, I’ve been in Formula 1 since forever. I think it’s just been trial and error. Practice and practice and focus. And the focus is the key. Staying focused and not being distracted by all the fracas that’s going on around you.
 

There’s so much going on, so finding the balance within yourself is important. How I do that, I can’t tell you, because it’s different for everyone. But it’s been about making sure that I have the right people around and making sure that I don’t spread myself too thin. Making sure that I am happy, enjoying myself, and doing things I want to do, as opposed to things that I’m told to do.
 

It’s just finding the right balance. So I get to work with this great team, and I love driving. So that’s easy, and it’s something I want to do. Small things like signing a hundred helmets are not necessarily something that I really want to do, but it’s part of the process, and at least all of these things are geared towards to me getting into my car.
 

JS: I grew up in Indiana and grew up around racing, so my last question is something that has always interested me. I know you’re deeply rooted in F1, but have you ever looked at other series like NASCAR and IndyCar and thought, “Oh, that could be cool to do one day”?

LH: Honestly – and I know it sucks to hear this – but I have never had any desire to drive any other sport. And still today, I see IndyCar, which is fast, and I see NASCAR, which always looks cool, and I’ve driven [a NASCAR] and enjoyed it. I love rally cars, so If I were going to do another driving thing, maybe it would be rally. I think rally is super-cool, but it’s not particularly well known. I love Moto GP, and I love bikes.
 

So, if I were going to do anything, it would be bikes. But I’m probably too old to do that. I think, when you’re younger, you’re more bounce-proof, and the older you get, you’re not so much. I missed the boat on that one, but I think I am always going to be driving, I’m always going to be doing something, but I don’t think on a competitive level. So I might still get to go to a NASCAR race and go out in one of the cars and just enjoy it while I’m here, but it’s hard to say. I really can’t tell you where I’m going to be in five or ten years. But what I do know is that I am going to miss racing a ridiculous amount. So when I’m not competing, it’s going to be – I’m not looking forward to that part. And the thing is, I am super competitive, so if I’m not competing, I don’t know. At the moment, I feel like I won’t be living, but I’ve got some time yet.
 

(Photography by Watchonista, other sources mentioned)