Paris (AFP)

Record holder - among others - of F1 Grand Prix victories, clothing designer, champion of ecology and the fight against racism, perhaps soon a singer: Lewis Hamilton stands out in the paddock with his eclecticism and activism .

Holder of the pole position record (97) ahead of Michael Schumacher, whom he passed in 2017 in this very specific area, the 35-year-old Briton also dethroned the German this season in number of podiums (161) and victories (92 ).

He seems set, too, to equal his record of seven world titles in 2020 and "make the name of Hamilton a little more into history" despite his humble origins, his skin color and the decency of the paddock. .

Beyond the numbers, for the former big boss of F1 Bernie Ecclestone, Hamilton and Schumacher, nicknamed the "red baron", are not made of the same wood.

"If you did not know that Lewis is a pilot, you would never guess it. While seeing Nelson (Piquet) or + Schumi +, you said to yourself: they are pilots", notes "Mister E" for AFP.

Often referred to as a "pop star," with his flashy jewelry and countless tattoos, Hamilton first stood out for his jet-set lifestyle, before gaining in substance.

- Racism -

By the way, the native of Stevenage, a dormitory city in north London, has acquired an aura that has earned him by far the most popular pilot on social networks.

His previous employers and the media may have feared that his connections with fashion (he signs collections for the Tommy Hilfiger brand) and music would harm him.

But the person concerned, like his boss at Mercedes Toto Wolff, sees it as one of the keys to his sporting success.

"Maintaining my creativity stimulates me, Hamilton told AFP in 2018. In my spare time, I try to explore because, as long as you learn, you stimulate your mind."

The first black driver in the history of the premier class of motorsport (his father was born to parents from Grenada, his mother is white, both divorced when he was 2 years old), Hamilton regularly spoke of racism. that he was confronted with.

After the death of African-American George Floyd, victim of a police blunder in May in the United States, the subject became one of his fights.

At the risk of annoying by his insistence, the driver pushed F1 to organize a ceremony before the start of the GP and launched a commission in Great Britain to encourage diversity in a predominantly white and male sport.

Previously, he had positioned himself as a defender of the animal cause and the environment, giving up his ruby-colored private jet and going vegan.

His conversion aroused irony but the Briton does not care.

"Our carbon footprint is definitely higher than that of the average citizen, but that doesn't mean we should be afraid to talk about things that can have a positive impact, and I always take into account the influence I can have" , he replies.

- Music -

On the private side, after a highly publicized relationship with singer Nicole Scherzinger, Hamilton, a fervent Catholic like his idol Ayrton Senna, is now discreet and appears more often alongside his French bulldog Roscoe than potential companions.

It was his father who introduced the driver, born January 7, 1985, to karting, and who financed his start of his career by accumulating several jobs.

After a falling out in the early 2010s, when his son wanted him to stop managing his interests, the father returned to the circuits alongside his other son Nicolas, also a pilot and suffering from cerebral palsy.

Spotted as a teenager and supported by McLaren, the Englishman made his F1 debut in 2007 and won his first world title in 2008, aged 23, with the British team.

But it was in 2014 that he entered another dimension at the wheel of Mercedes archi-domineering in the age of hybrid engines.

During this period, the Briton allowed only one title to escape him (in 2016, for his teammate Nico Rosberg) and, out of 133 races, he won more than half of them (69).

While he has yet to re-engage with Mercedes for 2021 and beyond, Hamilton insists he is in this "family" and has no plans to disappear from the paddocks.

And that should not prevent him from going elsewhere to see if the grass is so green: the Englishman has finally admitted that it is his voice that we hear since 2018 on the song "Pipe" by Christina Aguilera .

He plans to broadcast some personal compositions one day.

© 2020 AFP