Paris (AFP)

In capturing a sixth world crown in F1, Lewis Hamilton has one more than the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, one less than the icon Michael Schumacher and does not display, at age 34, the intention of to hang up.

The dominance of the British driving his Mercedes since 2014 and the introduction of hybrid engines is overwhelming. He left only one title to escape (in 2016 Nico Rosberg, his teammate at the time) and 119 races, he won more than half (61).

His boss Toto Wolff believes that the pilot "is perhaps the greatest ever," while being judge and part.

The native of Stevenage, a dormitory city about 50 kilometers north of London, acquired an aura that earned him to be by far the most popular F1 driver on social networks, with 13.3 million subscribers on Instagram, 5.6 million on Twitter and 4.1 on Facebook.

He is the first black (his father is black, born of parents from Grenada, and his white mother) to have imposed himself in a very white world, which, according to Wolff, was not without consequence in his learning.

"I think that for us it's very difficult to understand that if you are part of a very small number, you may find yourself faced with this kind of situation (...) I never saw things this way before he explains it to me and it made me aware of it, "says the Austrian.

- Defender of the environment -

Adorned with his jewels and tattoos, the automobile champion, accustomed to fashion shows and creating his own clothing collections, did not hesitate until recently to travel the world aboard his private jet ruby ​​color.

He made a 180-degree turn by presenting himself as a defender of the environment. He sold his plane, advocates its vegan diet adopted in 2017 and worries about the fate of the globe, while cruising the paddock of F1 on his scooter (non-electric).

A statement that provokes the irony of some of the public and some of its rivals, who recall that F1 is not really an ecological activity.

But Hamilton does not care: "We run on F1 and our carbon footprint is certainly higher than the average citizen's, but that does not mean we should be afraid to talk about things that can have a positive impact. I always take into account the influence that I can have on people, "he says.

The pilot's private life, born on January 7, 1985, remains very secretive. His parents divorced when he was two years old and his father, very present at his beginnings on the circuits, shows up again after a quarrel in the early 2010s, when his son wanted him to stop managing his career . His half-brother Nicolas, also a pilot, has cerebral palsy.

- "The red suits me" -

After a highly publicized relationship with singer Nicole Scherzinger, the Brit has been more discreet about his love life. He is more often accompanied by his French bulldogs Roscoe and Coco than by top models.

As for politics, it does not display particular sympathies, except its positioning against racism and now ecologist. "I do not think I'm particularly political, I watch the news as much as I can and I'm very interested in what's going on in the world, I think we're going through a troubling time," he said. recently declared.

At the end of 2020, his contract with Mercedes, for which he has been running since 2013, will expire and he has recently indicated that he wants to drive the new F1 cars that will be used from 2021, when he turns 36 years old.

Some already announce it at Ferrari, an assumption that it does not reject directly.

"I know that the red suits me well," he quipped, wearing a sweatshirt of this color, during a recent television interview, before recalling the strength of the ties that unite him to the brand. the star.

Having broken Schumacher's pole position record (87 against 68), his team and he are aiming for another German record next year: GP victories (83 vs. 91), podiums (150 vs. 155). ) and titles (6 to 7).

© 2019 AFP