How does Hamilton defy the years to stay razor-sharp in F1?
Despite being one of the oldest drivers on the grid at 37, Hamilton is still at the top of his game in F1, with the seven-time world champion showing no sign of slowing down as he continues to unlock new levels of performance.
Hamilton is currently enduring the longest winless streak of his career after amid Mercedes’ difficult start to the season following the introduction of new technical regulations this year, but that hasn’t stopped Hamilton in his quest to improve.
“Every year I've always looked at trying to help figure out how I can be better and how I can have more energy,” Hamilton said in an interview with GQ Magazine.
“How can I be a better teammate? How can I feel better and how can I balance my life out better? Just over time becoming more and more conscious of how I'm treating myself, being more in tune with my body and what my body needs and when it needs to rest.”
Hamilton was forced to miss an F1 race for the first time in his career when he contracted COVID-19 ahead of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
At the end of the 2020 season, Hamilton said he was “just happy to be alive” after feeling “destroyed” by the virus. In August 2021, Hamilton suspected he had long COVID after revealing he had been “fighting all year” with his health.
Elaborating on his health further, Hamilton continued: “Not getting sick through the pandemic really highlighted the importance in our job of not missing a race by catching the virus so we took a huge leap in terms of hygiene.
“That's stayed with us so generally I've never been more focused on my health. I make sure I’m not putting anything particularly bad into my body, I stay away from medicines and only use something that's organic or homoeopathic.
“I also have found that rather than trying to fix a problem once you've got an illness or something, it’s better to try to preempt it by being as healthy as possible.
“For me, I'm just always looking at how I can gain an advantage. How can I be healthier? How can I have more energy?”
As he has got older, Hamilton has focused more on the importance of recovery, with his physio and performance coach, Angela Cullen, playing a particularly vital role.
"Recovery has been a real focus for me in the past couple of years,” Hamilton explained.
“Now, I always make sure the day after a race is a complete day off - I make sure it’s a day to myself for self care.
“I do cryotherapy, I might do some pool work and I make sure I get physio or acupuncture that day, or just a steam room.
“Also, when I was younger I honestly didn't stretch before or after I got in the car. I wasn't equipped with the knowledge that it’s a good way to loosen yourself up, so stretching is super important to me now.”
