Lewis Hamilton: Where Intention Leads, the Journey Continues

This story is taken from Another Man China, Issue 17:

Upon reflection, Formula 1 is a sport defined by paradox. It pursues ultimate speed, embodying pure fluidity – victories decided in milliseconds, a calendar that races across more than twenty global locations. Yet it unfolds on closed, looping circuits, twenty-two cars tracing the same path, lap after lap.

It is precisely this paradox that makes F1 a profound metaphor for travel and movement: you strive for breakthroughs, for speed, for distant horizons, yet at its core, the sport is about how you return, recalibrate and find the conviction to set out again from the same starting point. It is like a suitcase opened and closed, filled and emptied, time and again – each departure finds you slightly different from the last, renewed through the cycle.

On a grand scale, F1 is spectacular and intense. But in its particulars, it is restrained, demanding, and marked by a near-monotonous repetition. It demands that a driver maintain judgement at speed, sustain focus through repetition and master the whole through an obsession with detail.

In other words, this sport has never been merely about speed. Speed alone has no meaning; movement does not automatically lead somewhere new. It is the shared belief of drivers, teams and fans that transforms speed into significance and movement into progress. Stripped of that belief, F1 would be nothing more than a series of precise but empty circuits and travel itself reduced to aimless wandering.

For Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion who has internalised this understanding of speed, progress and purpose, the implications extend far beyond the racetrack. His journey may once have been about reaching distant places faster. Now, between countless departures and returns, his life embodies the spirit of RIMOWA’s declaration: “No one builds a legacy by standing still.” His path is vast, his journey rich with meaning – every step sustained by conviction, the purpose of travel realised through the very act of moving forward.

1. Where It All Began

In Stevenage, a small town in Hertfordshire, the world once felt very small. “I have family who barely ever left,” Hamilton says.

It was in his father’s battered red Vauxhall Cavalier that he first began to expand his horizons. His father, Anthony Hamilton, worked multiple jobs to support his son’s racing dreams. On weekends, they would load the equipment into the car and drive across the country to karting circuits. To save money, they often slept in the car at motorway service stations, folding themselves into the back seat. That cramped space, smelling of petrol, became his first mobile sanctuary. Its licence plate – F44 – would years later provide the inspiration for his legendary race number.

“Whenever there was a Grand Prix weekend, my father would always order Chinese takeaway. Obviously, it wasn’t authentic,” he recalls with nostalgia and a hint of self-mockery, referring to the British Chinese staples of sweet and sour chicken, chow mein, chips and curry sauce that recently became a talking point on social media. “But in my eyes back then, eating that food while watching the cars scream across the TV screen – that was my first, most beautiful glimpse of the world, and of this faraway place called China.”

2. Breaking In

His first real journey abroad came at thirteen, when he left England to compete in karts in Italy. He couldn’t understand the language, and the food was completely different. But he remembers the feeling – the sudden realisation that the world was far larger than Stevenage. From that moment, his journey accelerated.

In 2007, at twenty-two, he became the first Black driver in F1 history. He finished his debut race on the podium and went on to set a record for consecutive podium finishes in a rookie season. Almost overnight, he was thrust into the spotlight, quickly cast in a familiar narrative of talent, breakthrough, ascent and unrelenting success. In 2020, amid the rain at a sodden Turkish Grand Prix, he clinched his seventh world title, matching the record held by Michael Schumacher.

Yet amid this rise, he began to notice something deeper taking hold – a tendency to bind something beyond winning to victory itself. “I thought I had to win to be loved,” Hamilton admits. It was a subtle but profound shift: victory was no longer simply the result, but a prerequisite for affection. Progress became about recognition and validation rather than movement itself. Fortunately, during this period, he found another kind of support. “It was fans like Team LH China who made me realise that whether we win or lose, we are all on this journey together. Even though we come from different backgrounds, in a sense we are all human beings striving for something in our lives.” And so, within this shared journey, forward motion gradually transformed from something that needed to be proven into something that could be shared. In that transformation, his conviction began to take on its true shape.

3. China: From Imagination to Arrival

If the connection with his fans reshaped his understanding of human bonds, then the journeys themselves – to destinations across the globe – continued to expand his relationship with the world. China occupies a uniquely meaningful place in that landscape.

“I can still vividly remember the excitement of winning my first Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai – that was 2008,” Hamilton says, before laughing. “Definitely not 2007 – that was an absolute disaster.”

That memory is indeed a brutal one: as a sensational rookie in 2007, he slid into a gravel trap at the pit entry, throwing away the world championship that year. Now it has softened into a self-deprecating joke. For Hamilton today, his connection to this country reaches far beyond childhood fantasies of “inauthentic” Chinese takeaway, and even beyond victory and defeat.

“I remember being struck by Chinese culture the first time I encountered it – not just the food, but the intensity of the colours: the red flags, the dragon motifs, the unique textures of the fabrics.” He has walked the Great Wall and visited giant pandas in Chengdu. His wish list in China continues to grow. “I’d love to see the Zhangye Danxia landforms for myself – the photos look absolutely incredible.”

If these represent a spatial form of arrival, his interest in Eastern culture and philosophy suggests a different kind of inward journey. Asked whether any element of Asian thought has inspired him, he answers with certainty: “Martial arts. And the concept of qi.”

His interest began in childhood. At six, he took up martial arts for self-defence. But over time, his understanding has moved far beyond the physical. “Learning how to access and channel your inner energy through the movement of your body – that is an art that takes years to master. And it is a state I want to explore.” His eyes light up as he speaks.

This resonance – spanning the visual and the spiritual – has strengthened his desire to deepen his ties with China. “I’m trying to find better ways to connect with my Chinese fans,” he says. His team, he reveals, is working with local partners to better understand the country’s social media landscape, hoping to bridge the physical distance.

4. The Idea of Home

Constant movement has forced him to redefine home. It is no longer simply a fixed location, but rather a sense of safety and ease that he carries with him.

Before each trip, he packs a few constants. Upon arriving in a hotel room, he takes them from his RIMOWA suitcase and arranges them, transforming any space into something that feels closer to home: a photograph of Roscoe – his beloved dog, who passed away after a long illness a few months ago, and whose image has become an indispensable companion – pictures of his nephews and niece, his own pillow and a favorite scented candle.

If journeys are defined by leaving, then these small objects constitute a different kind of return. They allow him to retain stable coordinates even in motion. Looking back, there is a quiet symmetry here. Years ago, he would leave Stevenage with a suitcase full of equipment and ambition, each journey expanding the radius of his life. Now, with travel his constant state, the suitcase has taken on a different role. It holds memories and attachments, grounding him, pulling him back to centre.

5. Another Speed

The outside world often describes Hamilton in terms of multiplicity: racing driver, fashion figure, film producer, investor. For him, these are not deviations but shifts in rhythm.

“It’s because I’ve been involved in these different fields that I’ve been able to learn faster. Making a film, for example, is like an endurance race – we worked on the F1 film for four years. Fashion moves more like a qualifying lap – incredibly fast.”

“Someone once told me it’s better to do one thing exceptionally well than many things averagely.” He compares it to juggling it demands a well-coordinated team and rigorous time management. But in his philosophy, no one builds a legacy by standing still. To remain exclusively on the familiar track after achieving success would, for him, be a form of spiritual retirement. “Even so, I’ve always been clear about what my primary job is – racing. I must make sure that these other pursuits don’t drain my energy from racing. That’s not just a principle; it’s a bottom line.”

6. Another Man

Asked what drives all these roles and ventures, he chooses two words to describe his guiding principle: “intention” and “inclusivity.” “Whatever I’m doing – whether it’s a film or a fashion project – it’s never intended for just one kind of person. It’s for everyone.”

This commitment to intention extends into broader social impact. Conversation turns naturally to Mission 44, the foundation he established to create pathways for young people from underrepresented backgrounds – those excluded from STEM fields because of their origins, ethnicity, or economic circumstances. “More than skills, I want to pass on a belief in breaking down barriers,” Hamilton says.

He mentions his father again. “I remember when I was a child, whenever I said ‘I can’t do this,’ my father would immediately stop me. He’d say: ‘Never let that word be in your vocabulary. You might not be able to do it now, but if you work at it, eventually you will.’”

Those words laid the foundation for his life. Now, he hopes to plant that seed in younger generations. “We all grow up in different environments, and along the way we encounter obstacles – some set by society, some set by ourselves,” he says. “It’s not about being good at everything – I’m not good at everything – but I’m willing to try anything. I want to encourage young people to stay open-minded, to try things they might think aren’t for them. Instead of limiting yourself, give it everything you’ve got.”

At this point in the conversation, we have naturally arrived at the signature question from Another Man: What is another man? How would you define a new kind of masculinity? Hamilton’s answer is sincere. “In the environment I grew up in, showing vulnerability was seen as weakness – it wasn’t allowed. But I don’t see it that way now. I think the way a man presents himself – with style, with elegance, with courage and persistence – all of those things are intertwined. It’s not just about being tough. Real strength comes from how you show the combination of those qualities to the world. It’s not about playing a role or putting on a hard shell. It’s about living a life that’s true to who you are – with clear intention and with inclusivity.”

He travels, experiences, and makes choices guided by intention. He is drawn to deep space, fascinated by any exploration of human frontiers. He cares about the environment and supports sustainable enterprises. He follows the rise of women’s sports and advocates for greater opportunity. None of this is abstract.

“I don’t just want to be a driver,” Hamilton says. “I want to leave the next generation a world that’s a little better than the one we have now.”

This is Lewis Hamilton today. From Stevenage to the world, his journey has never stopped. But unlike the early years, moving forward is no longer solely about arriving or proving. Between each departure and return, he continually recalibrates, puts his intention into practice, and expands his own breadth, width and depth. To return to RIMOWA’s sentiment: no one builds a legacy by standing still. He set out to achieve his potential, driven by what he loves. And it is in the pure, intentional practice of that pursuit that the meaning of his journey takes shape, accumulating richness and opening onto an unwritten future.

Photographer: Campbell Addy. Styling: Eric McNeal. Creative Director: Mia Shen. Makeup & Hair: Yuko Fredriksson. Art Direction: Ibby Njoya. Digital: Kerimcan Goren. Styling Assistants: Benjamin Carnall, Plum Liu. Art Assistants: Lewis Mcvey, Ling Zhang, Magalie Bommer, Adam Houston Smyth. Photography Assistants: Lucas Bullens, George Hutton, Samuel Gurung. Production: Emma Collery. Production Coordinator: Mia Vinaccia. Production Assistant: Chylle Dignadice. Special Thanks: Rimowa

This story is taken from Another Man China, Issue 17, on sale now.