Early McLaren years forced worried Hamilton to be 'squeaky clean'

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that the fear of losing McLaren's crucial support during his formative years in motorsport forced him to leave no stone unturned in his quest for an F1 drive.

The four-time world champion was picked up at the age of 13 as a young karter by McLaren who then included the teenager in its young driver programme.

Financially supported, mentored and groomed by the Woking-based outfit, Hamilton successfully progressed up the junior ranks before reaching the big time in 2007.

However, the run up the ladder to the pinnacle of motorsport was a source of constant worry for Hamilton and his father Anthony, who supported his son's passion from the outset and looked after his affairs, as the pair obsessed over their relationship with McLaren and the massive prospects it represented.

"I was signed by McLaren but every day was a worry that I could lose it," Hamilton told F1's Tom Clarkson in an in-depth interview podcasted on the official F1 website.

"My dad and I - particularly my dad - would spend just hours and hours just communicating with McLaren just trying to make sure 'Are we doing everything you guys want us to do, is there anything more we can do?', just trying to go over and above to make sure…

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"Because we had to be squeaky clean, you know. We were the only black family in the sport. It was by no means an easy route," he added.

"We were very very lucky that we got funding, which we wouldn't have made to Formula 1 without, we just couldn't find the money.

"But, we still had to navigate, we had to make sure that every weekend we crushed it.

"We had to make sure that every single person that we came in contact with, be it with the team, the sponsors, whatever it may be, they would go back to the big boss and they're like 'Wow, these guys are switched on, these guys are the best people, they're so kind…' Just making sure that you've left no stone unturned, so that when it comes to the day when they say 'So, who should we put in the car?', there is no question or doubt in their mind."

Reflecting on his twelve years at the top of the sport, the successes and the failures, Hamilton acknowledged the privileges bestowed upon him, but also the heartbreaking moments.

"Formula 1 has given me a life, given me a purpose, which is pretty special," he told Clarkson.

"But F1 has also broken me. It’s broken me and built me, broken me and built me.

"When you go through it, you put so much into it, it breaks your heart and kills you when you fail. When you stumble, when everyone’s watching when you stumble.

"But, when you get back up and when you succeed it lifts you up. You fall and you break a bone, you heal and you keep going. That’s what I mean by it.

"It’s the passion for what you do and the will to succeed. It’s just something that’s hard to express but everyone has it in some shape or form.

"Formula 1 has helped me grow and I have gained a lot more confidence within myself. What it has given me is the platform to be able to do things I want to do, live the life I could only have dreamed of."

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