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A future world champion

26. Nov 2020 
by Ziv Knoll
5712 views

Early 2006, I had a meeting in Antwerp with the CEO of British American Tobacco (BAT), who where sponsoring the Honda team in Formula One.

We had a nice chat in my office, and naturally our conversation turned to motor racing in general and Formula One in particular. We got along well, and by the end of the day, the gentleman asked me if I would be happy to be invited at one of the Grand Prix. Without hesitation, I said yes.

A few weeks later I received an invitation for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, for my wife and myself.

It was a wonderful weekend, we were treated like VIP’s: private car and driver, paddock passes, best hotel rooms etc… We even had a chance to meet and talk to the Honda drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

As you might know by now, my interest for racing goes beyond Formula One, and I couldn’t resist going to the Formula 3000 paddock, meeting the stars of tomorrow.

Following all categories of racing, I knew (surely I was not the only one) that there was this kid from Stevenage in England that was super talented. I told Carla: “Let’s go to the F3000 paddock, I want us to meet an exceptional driver, a future World Champion.”

Lewis Hamilton was there, next to his car with his father Anthony, and no-one else around. We had a few words and I told him I was sure that one day he will be Formula One World Champion and we made this picture.

Today, this shy young driver met in 2006 is a 7-time World Champion and a legend in his own right.

Source: Ziv Knoll

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