Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova revealed in a recent podcast appearance that Lewis Hamilton’s pre-race sponsor responsibilities left her in shock, due to the sheer amount he had to do.
Having been in Formula 1 since 2007, it’s no surprise that Hamilton has a considerable amount of work to do with his sponsors before a race.
Another reason for this is that he’s statistically the greatest F1 driver of all-time, as he’s won more races and claimed more pole positions than any other driver.
He also sits level with Michael Schumacher on seven Drivers’ Championships, making him highly valuable to sponsors.
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The 38-year-old has a huge list of sponsors that he has to carry out responsibilities for, both through Mercedes and through his own personal partners.
Sharapova is a friend of the 103-time race winner and was seen embracing with him on the grid ahead of the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he finished ninth.
Having competed at the highest level of tennis for such a long period of time ahead of her retirement in early 2020, Sharapova knows how exhausting completing sponsor responsibilities can be ahead of an event.
When she saw the amount Hamilton had to do earlier this year ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, it left her in complete disbelief and pondering how an athlete of his calibre defeat his rivals when he’s already “drained”.
To her, it highlights the level of athlete that Hamilton is, that he’s been able to win “over and over” again throughout his career despite already doing so much work before even jumping into his cockpit.
“At Formula One. I mean, what Lewis [Hamilton] is doing ahead of a race,” Sharapova said on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast.
“I actually was in Miami and I saw some of his sponsor responsibilities and I just couldn’t believe the amount of events and interviews. And then how do you wake up and want to do your job? Beat someone when so much of your energy is drained?
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“I think it just shows you when there is that individual and that star that wins over and over, how special it is because of everything else that they’ve also had to be responsible for,” she added.
Without even discussing the work he does for Mercedes’ sponsors, Hamilton already endorses Puma, Monster Energy, Sony, Boss, Bell Helmets, MV Agusta Motorcycles and IWC, according to Sportskeeda.
That’s also not including his own brands, one of which – Almave – he was advertising at the closing rounds of the 2023 season.