Lewis Hamilton is famous for many reasons, including, being a seven-time World Champion, having his own clothing line and doing an incredible amount for charity.
With all of this in mind, it would come as no surprise that the 37-year-old is often linked to a famous phrase, with the one in question being ‘Hammer Time’.
Over the years, the saying has often been heard over the British driver’s team radio, most notably when needing to push on an in or out lap.
It’s perhaps the most famous thing that Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington (Bono) has ever said, but how did the phrase come about in the first place?
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Hamilton has revealed that it was him who created the saying, and how it was ‘born’.
“I think I came up with ‘Hammer Time’,” said Hamilton.
“There was a point where he [Bono] was like ‘Now is the time to push’ and I got frustrated with him because I was like ‘Dude, I am already pushing’.
“But if you are trying to signify now is the time to go all out, use everything, then I said just tell me it is Hammer Time.”
Bonnington is no stranger to working with seven-time World Champions, having worked with Michael Schumacher previously.
His relationship with Hamilton started in 2013, with the Stevenage-born driver hailing him as “like a brother”.
The pair have experienced it all together, from the highs of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton went from last to first, to the lows of last year’s season finale, and the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed out of the race.
“I am incredibly grateful for Bono,” said Hamilton.
“I think we have one of the longest, if not the longest standing driver-engineer partnerships there has been.
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“He has been hugely integral to my success. We have had an amazing journey together, we have supported each other on and off track, through good and bad times.
” I love working with Bono, he is like a brother to me – a brother from another mother – and he is one of the few people that can truly stand me on the good and bad days.
“With how calm he is able to be through the race and how he is able to help me drive and navigate through the race, I don’t think there are many people who can do that.”