Seven-time World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton is known for being arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of all-time; however, it turns out that the 37-year-old is more normal than some may think, after revealing his biggest fear.
Despite being known to love driving at unimaginable speeds and activities like skydiving, the Brit has revealed that he suffers from arachnophobia, which is, of course, a fear of spiders.
“People say: “Dude! You drive around at 200 miles an hour! … And I’m like, in terms of fear factor, that’s easy for me,” Hamilton told Vanity Fair.
“I guess we’re just all wired differently.”
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His fear of spiders is actually so severe, to the point that he commonly asks for a hotel room on a high level, to reduce the chance of coming across an eight-legged creature.
“It’s pathetic, but I do,” Hamilton said, admitting that he checks every corner of a hotel room.
His interview with Vanity Fair was carried out in August, where things on the track have been incredibly difficult since.
He suffered a retirement at the Belgian Grand Prix after being launched into the air following a collision with Fernando Alonso, before going on to finish fourth at Zandvoort, fifth at Monza, ninth at Singapore and fifth again at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Hamilton potentially had the pace to challenge Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez for a podium; however, the poor straight-line speed of his W13 meant he was unable to overtake Esteban Ocon, whose car placement was brilliant.
The British driver pulled alongside the Alpine several times, but just didn’t have enough to pull ahead of the Frenchman, who was the second fastest driver in the speed trap during the race.
With just four races remaining, 2022 is looking set to be the worst season of Hamilton’s career, with the Mercedes driver having previously never failed to finish below the top five in the Drivers’ Championship.
Much to his disappointment, he currently sits in sixth and is also yet to win a single race this season.
Should he fail to win one of the final four races of the year, then it would see his run of having claimed a victory in every season he’s competed in come to an end.
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The upcoming United States Grand Prix could be Mercedes’ best shot at claiming the win, with the team also on track to not win a race for the first time since 2012.
Hamilton is the most successful driver at the Circuit of the Americas, which has hosted the American race since 2012.
The Mercedes driver has claimed five victories at the circuit, making him by far the most successful driver at the venue.