Personal life & Non-Racing Endevors
Activism and Philanthropy
Diversity and anti-racism
Hamilton is a prominent advocate against racism and for increased diversity in motorsport. In 2011—after being summoned to the stewards in five of the opening six rounds—Hamilton quipped, "maybe it's because I'm black, that's what Ali G says." In 2018, Hamilton criticised the lack of diversity in Formula One, stating "nothing's changed" in the 11 years since his debut.
As part of the U.S. national anthem protests, Hamilton took the knee before every Grand Prix he entered in 2020, in support of Black Lives Matter, and wore t-shirts promoting racial justice. Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Hamilton criticised prominent figures in Formula One for their silence on the issue, writing on Instagram:
I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars [sic] yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice. Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I'm one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone. [...] I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can't stand alongside us. Just know I know who you are and I see you. [...] We are not born with racism and hate in our hearts, it is taught by those we look up to.
Following Hamilton's comments, several drivers and team executives reciprocated his views. Ross Brawn, managing director for Formula One, stated that the organisation "supports [Hamilton] totally", describing Hamilton as "a great ambassador for the sport". During the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix weekend, including on the podium, Hamilton wore a t-shirt stating "arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor". Following an investigation, the FIA barred drivers from wearing unofficial attire on the podium and in media interviews. In anticipation of the FIA's decision, Hamilton said that he recognised that they have "certain limits that they feel that they have to work within", but he "[didn't] regret a single moment of it" and appreciated the "really positive support from the fans".
In June 2020, Hamilton established The Hamilton Commission with the Royal Academy of Engineering, tasked with finding ways for motorsport to engage more black people with STEM subjects and increase employment in motorsport or other engineering sectors. In May 2021, Hamilton became the inaugural recipient of the Laureus Athlete Advocate of the Year Award. Hamilton founded Mission 44 in July 2021, a charity designed to help young people from under-represented backgrounds achieve their ambitions in wider society. Hamilton pledged £20 million to support the work of the charity. Mission 44 collaborates with a joint foundation between Hamilton and Mercedes called Ignite, which was also launched in July. Ignite focuses on increasing diversity in motorsport by improving opportunities in education and offering financial support.
Human Rights
In December 2020, Hamilton confronted human rights in Bahrain and spoke out on allegations of sportswashing. Hamilton said he "won't let it go unnoticed" after an 11-year-old boy wrote a letter to Hamilton asking him to save his father, who was facing the death penalty after making an alleged forced confession. Hamilton discussed the case with human rights organisations and legal experts, as well as Bahraini officials. He stated that whilst he has no authority over where he competes, drivers should not "[go] to these countries and just [ignore] what is happening".
Hamilton is also a supporter of LGBT rights, and strongly criticised the Hungarian government before the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for their anti-LGBT law. He also called out LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia before the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, describing them as "terrifying"
Enviromental and Animal Rights
Hamilton has discussed environmental issues and animal rights in press conferences, interviews and documentaries. He has also used his social media platforms to gather support for his initiatives, which have included urging China to reclassify dogs as pets instead of livestock, backing charities against wildlife smuggling, and calling for the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
In January 2020, Hamilton donated US$500,000 to causes relating to bushfires in Australia. He later announced his aim of being carbon neutral by the end of the year, explaining that he had mandated his office and household use recyclable items, sold his private jet, and planned to reduce his use of aircraft.
UNICEF and #TOGETHERBAND
In 2012, Hamilton began working with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). In March 2012, Hamilton travelled to the Philippines where he made a short film about Manila's street children. The film was shown on ITV1 during Soccer Aid and helped raise over £4.9 million for UNICEF. In October 2012, while in India for the Grand Prix, Hamilton visited a UNICEF-funded newborn care unit and nutrition centre. Hamilton said: "As a sportsman in the public eye, I know I have a role to play in helping to tell the stories of the world's most vulnerable children and I jumped at the chance to be able to do that again after a visit to Manila."
In 2014, Hamilton travelled to Haiti where he made a short film about child malnutrition. The film was shown on ITV1 during Soccer Aid, and helped raise over £6 million for UNICEF. In 2015, Hamilton took part in an exhibition to highlight UNICEF's work and to celebrate its twenty-year partnership with Starwood Hotels. In June 2017, Hamilton joined the Super Dads initiative, a special UNICEF campaign that highlighted the critical role played by fathers in early childhood development. In August 2017, Hamilton visited Havana with UNICEF to learn more about its first development programmes in Cuba.
In 2020, Hamilton partnered with charity campaign #TOGETHERBAND to help promote the United Nations' 17 Global Goals. As part of his campaign work, Hamilton visited Alperton Community School in North West London to speak to the students about the importance of education. Hamilton is a GOAL 4 Ambassador, focusing on the fight to provide quality education to all children.
Other charities
Over the past decade, Hamilton has made time for a variety of causes, such as making donations and hospital visits to sick children.He has invited fans, young people, and their families to join him at Grand Prix races and social events. In 2013, he became the Global Education Ambassador for Save the Children, supporting and promoting its education campaigns. Two years later, Hamilton became the first ambassador for the Invictus Games Foundation, supporting wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamilton's Neat Burger restaurant donated free meals to frontline NHS workers. Neat Burger also launched the "Kids Eat Free" scheme, serving free meals to school children during the half-term break.
Hamilton often donates personal and professional paraphernalia for charity auctions. He auctioned a racing kart and raised over £42,000 for St Thomas' Hospital baby charity. He raised £6,411 for the Small Steps Project in 2018, and £6,000 in 2019. In 2020, he raised another £4,000 for the Small Steps Project, while a donated race suit reportedly raised €20,000 for vulnerable children. Hamilton also frequently attends charitable functions, including the amfAR gala in New York, and has supported projects and charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Comic Relief, Rays of Sunshine, Children in Need, and Stevenage's Keech Hospice Care Children's Service, among others. He is also involved in charitable work through the creation of his Lewis Hamilton Foundation. Registered in June 2008, the foundation provides grants and donations to a number of charitable causes.
Popular Culture
Music
Hamilton also has interests in music, saying that "music has been a huge passion of mine since I was really young. I started playing guitar when I was 13. In here, I can be me, I can be vulnerable. I can show a side of me that people don't get to see." He features on Christina Aguilera's 2018 song "Pipe" under the pseudonym XNDA, although he did not confirm this until July 2020, when he revealed he had been writing and recording music for ten years.
Film and television
During his final year with McLaren, Hamilton voiced an animated version of himself in the short series Tooned. Hamilton also made a guest appearance in Cars 2 (2011) in which he voices an anthropomorphic version of himself. He then voiced a voice command assistant in Cars 3 (2017). Hamilton is credited as an executive producer for the 2018 documentary film The Game Changers. Hamilton has also revealed he was offered a role as a fighter pilot in the film Top Gun: Maverick (2022) by Tom Cruise but was forced to decline due to his Formula One commitments. He was one of the executive producers on Motorcycle Mary (2024), a short documentary film about Mary McGee.
Video Games
Hamilton served as the "maestro" of the Gran Turismo series since Gran Turismo Sport in 2017, and his Time Trial Challenge DLC pack was released for this game on 28 November 2019. In November 2023, Epic Games added a cosmetic Hamilton player skin to Fortnite. A likeness of Hamilton's dog, Roscoe, was also added to the game.
Fashion
In 2018, Hamilton launched the clothing line TOMMYXLEWIS during New York Fashion Week with American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger alongside models Winnie Harlow and Hailey Baldwin. Hamilton will also be one of the co-chairs of the 2025 Met Gala in Manhattan.
Business
In September 2019, Hamilton launched a vegan restaurant named Neat Burger. It claims to be the first international plant-based burger chain. In 2020, Neat Burger was crowned Best Vegan Restaurant of the Year at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. In August 2020, Daily Front Row listed Hamilton as one of a group of high-profile investors who purchased fashion magazine W. In 2021, for the second consecutive year, Neat Burger was crowned Best Vegan Restaurant at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. Neat Burger was also named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals's inaugural Company of the Year. Throughout 2021, Hamilton toured the world via PORTL hologram, first in Europe and then making its U.S. debut in Los Angeles in September.
In September 2020, Hamilton launched Team X44 to compete in the all-electric SUV off-road racing series Extreme E from the 2021 season on. The X44 team finished 2nd in the inaugural Extreme E championship, behind Nico Rosberg's RXR team. In January 2022, X44 were crowned inaugural winners of Extreme E Sustainability Award. The team won the 2022 Championship in the final race of the season, beating RXR, who were disqualified from the race.
In August 2022, Hamilton joined the newly established ownership group of the National Football League's Denver Broncos.
Residence
Hamilton moved to Luins, Vaud, Switzerland, in 2007, citing privacy as his main reason for leaving the UK. He later said on the television show Parkinson that taxation was also a factor in his decision. In 2010, Hamilton, like many other Formula One drivers, moved to Monaco, purchasing a house worth a reported £10 million. Hamilton also owns an apartment in Manhattan, which he bought for US$40 million, and an estate in Colorado where he has said he would live after his retirement.
Wealth and Income
In 2015 Hamilton was ranked as the richest British sportsperson, with an estimated personal fortune of £88 million. In 2018 it was reported that Hamilton had a net worth of £159 million. In 2020 Hamilton's fortune was an estimated £224 million, making him the richest British sports star in the history of the Sunday Times Rich List. By 2022 that figure had increased to £300 million.
Before the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton signed a contract to stay with Mercedes until the end of the 2018 season in a deal reportedly worth more than £100 million over the three years, making him one of the best-paid drivers in Formula One. In the week leading up to the 2018 German Grand Prix, Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes, reported to be worth up to £40 million per year, making him the best-paid driver in the history of Formula One. According to Forbes, Hamilton was one of the highest-paid athletes of the 2010s decade, and also the highest-paid Formula One driver from 2013 to 2021.
