Lewis Hamilton may have taken the world of F1 by storm in 2007, but the script of his success had begun to write itself in 1955 in a small island nation. Hurricane Janet, which left Grenada devastated, acted as the watershed moment in the life of 25-year-old Davidson Hamilton, and by extension, in the life of his future grandson, Lewis Hamilton. That was the year Davidson decided to move to the UK in search of better employment opportunities.
Grenada is a small nation in the cluster of the Caribbean islands. The country was in abject poverty with limited means of survival. That was when Davidson began contemplating moving out in search of better opportunities. The hurricane left him no choice but to take refuge in a new country.
Davidson settled with his family in West London and worked for the London Underground. In a tense era when settled workers from the Caribbean were facing racially targeted harassment, Davidson (as per Lewis Hamilton: Triple World Champion – The Biography) admitted: “it was difficult to feel at ease.”
Davidson had a son in 1960 named Anthony Carl Arthur, or as we know him, Anthony Hamilton. As years passed, Davidson felt the need to move back to his motherland. Anthony, however, had different plans.
How Anthony Hamilton laid the foundation for Lewis’ F1 ambition
Davidson decided to move back to Grenada in the late 1970s. Anthony decided to stay put and earn a living in the UK itself. By then, he had moved to Stevenage, the place Lewis will proudly represent in his interviews in the future.
It was that home in Stevenage where Lewis was born in 1985 and, for the first time, saw the dream of becoming an F1 driver. That dream, however, came at a cost. A cost Anthony was ready to pay with superior sacrifice.
Anthony had a stable job in the IT industry, but he knew it wasn’t enough to support his son’s ambitions. As a result, he quit the job to take up multiple ones that would support Lewis’ dream and also support the rest of the family.
In 1998, when Lewis was 13, the Hamilton family’s fate took a turn for good with a phone call. That call came from McLaren boss Ron Dennis. Dennis offered Lewis a seat in the team’s driver development program and to sponsor his motor racing career.
How Lewis Hamilton made his grandfather proud
Lewis made his F1 breakthrough in 2007 and quickly stamped his authority on the sport. Davidson, who had only seen his grandson’s karting races before, witnessed him race in the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time at Silverstone. The future 7-time champion made him proud with a P3 podium finish.
Davidson admitted to getting teary-eyed at the sight of his grandson lifting the trophy and popping the champagne. He said, “He is such a fine young man and a very talented driver. I pray that his good fortune continues and he becomes World Champion.”
Praising his son, Anthony, for raising Lewis well, Davidson, while speaking with Sunday Mirror, said, “His father has been so careful about his upbringing that the money won’t change him. He will remain kind-hearted and down-to-earth because that is how we are in this family.”
Lewis was delighted to have his granddad at Silverstone. He admitted to having a big family, and his inability to invite them all for a Grand Prix, owing to the limited availability of passes.
Davidson saw his grandson win many races and 4 world titles in his lifetime. Sadly, he passed just 5 days before Lewis lifted his 5th championship trophy. The Mercedes star announced the demise of his grandfather himself to the world.
