Lewis Hamilton Recalls Childhood Karting Memories After Stunning Belgian GP Turnaround

Lewis Hamilton revealed that his childhood karting days were similar to his situation at the Belgian GP as he gained 11 positions on track.

Lewis Hamilton Recalls Childhood Karting Memories After Stunning Belgian GP Turnaround

Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

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Lewis Hamilton suffered from a rollercoaster of a performance throughout the Belgian GP weekend. Hamilton’s woes started early on in the weekend as he suffered from an early elimination from the SQ1 and Q1 sessions, leading to the sprint race and the main race. Moreover, the Briton had to start from the pit lane for using a new power unit. However, the 40-year-old excelled around the rain-laden Spa-Francorchamps circuit and ultimately finished in P7.

Lewis Hamilton was left seething after a woeful outing in the Qualifying session and being eliminated in the Q1 session itself. The Briton had to start the race from P18 ultimately as he had crushing hopes of fighting for even a points finish at the Belgian GP. However, the seven-time champion made all the difference on the rainy track as he put forth a stellar recovery drive and finished P7, right behind Alex Albon.

As such, the 40-year-old reminisced about his childhood karting days after seeing the racing conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Lewis Hamilton pointed out that he always loved races where he had a massive challenge and had to make his way through the field to achieve a good finish. The 40-year-old recalled that his racing life started by racing under similar conditions during his childhood days at Rye House.

I always love races like that where you have a challenge and have to make your way though the field. That’s really kind of how my life started in racing at Rye House. We didn’t have such a great go-kart and we’d always start at the back.

Lewis Hamilton said in a post-race interview

Lewis Hamilton insisted that his situation and performance at the Belgian GP were very reminiscent of his childhood days in the sport. Hamilton still lamented the disappointing circumstances that he put Ferrari through over the Belgian weekend, as it remained a weekend to forget. Also, the 40-year-old reckoned that outscoring Mercedes was yet another achievement for the Italian squad.

Very reminiscing of that sort of thing, and great work from the team. Disappointed to have had not such a great weekend, definitely one to forget but at least we still got some points. And we out scored Mercedes, collectively.

Lewis Hamilton added

Lewis Hamilton declares he felt ‘more comfortable’ with the car on Sunday

Since the beginning of the 2025 season, Lewis Hamilton has been unable to achieve a podium finish, let alone a race win. The Briton has remained vocal about the issues he has faced at the Scuderia, as the car performed worse than he expected. The Belgian GP was bound to be yet another disappointment for Ferrari if it wasn’t for his recovery drive on Sunday. Now, the 40-year-old noted that he felt much more comfortable with the car in the main race.

Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (via Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton wasn’t too impressed with the upgrades that Ferrari brought in at the Belgian GP weekend. However, the team worked on the car ahead of the race as they even installed a new power unit. As such, owing to the final amendments to the challenger, the seven-time champion revealed that he felt much more comfortable driving the car as he found his rhythm with the changes.

I think I know the car a lot better now with the changes that we made. I felt a lot more comfortable today.

Lewis Hamilton noted

Charles Leclerc suffered from his fair share of issues and couldn’t move ahead of his P3 start, as he ultimately finished in the same position. Ferrari still has a long way to go before they can seriously contend for race wins and make winning a habit. However, for now, the team is scoring much better than expected, as they can take in great learnings for the upcoming season as well.

Read More: Max Verstappen Hits out at FIA over ‘Too Careful’ Safety Decisions at Belgian GP