Paris (AFP)

A hundred times Grand Prix winner, co-record holder of F1 titles with Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton is also a champion of anti-racism, defender of ecology and passionate about both fashion and music: an eclecticism that detonates in the paddock .

Stratospheric!

Already the only "centenary" of pole positions, the seven-time world champion reached the bar of 100 Grand Prix victories on Sunday, on the Sochi circuit in Russia.

Since its premiere in 2007, Hamilton has achieved something that was then thought unattainable: surpassing (almost) all of Schumacher's records.

Only the ultimate record remains: the Englishman, who is one breath ahead in the general classification of drivers his Dutch rival Max Verstappen, can become at 36 the only eight-time champion to, once and for all, engrave his name in the race. 'History despite its humble origins and the convenience of the paddock.

Statistically comparable, the Briton and the German are not made of the same wood, according to former F1 grandmaster Bernie Ecclestone: “If you didn't know Lewis is a driver, you would never guess. seeing Nelson (Piquet) or + Schumi +, you said to yourself: they are ".

Often referred to as a "pop star", with his designer outfits, flashy jewelry and tattoos, the young Englishman stood out for his jet-set lifestyle, becoming the most popular pilot on social networks.

But over the years it has gained in substance.

- First black pilot -

The native of Stevenage, a dormitory city in north London, now uses his notoriety to defend diversity: "the most important thing is that my career is accompanied by a fight for equality".

First black driver in F1 (his father, born to parents from Grenada, and his mother, white, divorced when he was 2 years old), the star with the dreadlocks has regularly mentioned the racism he has faced.

But it was after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the United States in May 2020 that the subject became a fight.

The driver pushed the premier class of motorsport to position itself and launched a commission in Great Britain to encourage diversity in a discipline that is predominantly white and male.

Lewis Hamilton, on one knee, as part of his anti-racism commitment, September 5, 2021 at the Zandvoort circuit Francisco Seco POOL / AFP / Archives

"He is a global personality and he wants to use his voice to make things happen. He leads this fight with the same passion and the same power as for the race", estimated the boss of Mercedes Toto Wolff, at the time of the extension. of the highest paid driver on the grid until 2023.

Wolff understood it well: one of the keys to success is to leave your champion free.

To multiply parachute jumps, to develop his collaborations with fashion circles (he signs collections for Tommy Hilfiger) or music (in the title "Pipe" by Christina Aguilera).

"Maintaining my creativity stimulates me," Hamilton told AFP in 2018, one day considering broadcasting his personal compositions.

Known by Queen Elisabeth II at the end of 2020, "Sir" Lewis also appears as a defender of the animal cause and the environment, becomes vegan in 2017 and gives up his ruby-colored private jet in 2019.

A conversion which sometimes arouses irony, but the Briton does not care: "Our carbon footprint is certainly higher than that of the average citizen but that does not mean that we should be afraid to talk about things that may have a positive impact ".

- "Roscoe", faithful companion -

On the private side, after a high-profile relationship with singer Nicole Scherzinger, Hamilton, a fervent Catholic like his idol Ayrton Senna, appears more often alongside his faithful French bulldog Roscoe than potential companions.

His father introduced him to karting and financed his early career by accumulating several jobs, before a falling out in the early 2010s, when the driver wanted him to stop managing his interests.

F1 driver Lewis Hamilton with his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger as they arrive at the British Fashion Awards on December 1, 2014 in London JUSTIN TALLIS AFP / Archives

Anthony Hamilton has since returned to the circuits alongside his other son Nicolas, also a pilot and suffering from cerebral palsy.

Supported as a teenager by McLaren, the seven-time world champion made his F1 debut in 2007 and won his first title in 2008, aged 23, with the British team.

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

Since then, he has let slip only one title (in 2016, for the benefit of his German teammate Nico Rosberg).

In 2021, he finally found a competitor of his size in the person of the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

A new challenge under pressure which "rekindled his passion for racing".

© 2021 AFP