Lewis Hamilton's Emotional Reaction to Arsenal's Premier League Title Win
Lewis Hamilton wiped away a tear for Arsenal this week, and it had nothing to do with Formula One.
On the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, the Ferrari driver lit up when the conversation in the paddock drifted from tyre compounds and upgrades to the other obsession in his life: football. Arsenal, at long last, are champions of England again — and it hit him hard.
“I shed a tear, to be honest,” he admitted, still sounding slightly surprised at himself.
Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years was sealed on Tuesday, not with their own kick of a ball, but when Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth. For most of north London, it was a release. For Hamilton, it was a rewind.
He went straight back to Stevenage. To being five years old, a kid playing football around the corner, the only Black boy in the area, surrounded by West Ham, Tottenham and Manchester United shirts. In that crowd, his footballing fate was decided by a nudge from family, not form tables.
His sister, he recalled, literally poked him into it. “She gave me a little dig in the arm and said, ‘You have to support Arsenal.’ We had a laugh about that the other day,” he said, the title win turning an old sibling joke into something far more emotional.
While Hamilton basked in Arsenal’s long-awaited coronation, not everyone in the Montreal paddock was ready to join the chorus.
Pierre Gasly, never shy of a little needle, quickly planted his flag on the other side of the coming European divide. The Alpine driver is a devoted Paris St Germain supporter, and with PSG set to face Arsenal in next week’s Champions League clash, he could not resist.
“I’m glad we started talking about real stuff,” he joked, leaning into the rivalry as much as the humour.
PSG arrive at that tie in familiar domestic fashion. They wrapped up a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title last week, winning 2-0 away at nearest challengers Lens to underline their dominance in France yet again. Gasly expects the meeting with Arsenal to live up to the billing.
He called it a “fantastic game of football” in the making and left no room for doubt about his allegiance. “I’ll obviously be rooting for PSG, and hopefully they can bring in a second Champions League,” he said, eyes already fixed on Europe’s biggest prize.
Down the pitlane, football meant something different again.
Sergio Perez, now driving for Cadillac, has a logistical puzzle on his hands and a World Cup on his mind. The Mexican is prepared to tear up his mid-season schedule to be back home for a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
He wants to be in Guadalajara when his country plays at the upcoming World Cup, even if it means a frantic dash across the Atlantic and straight back into the grind of the European racing calendar.
“I literally have to come just for the game and then go back to Europe. We will make it happen,” Perez said, sounding more determined than daunted.
For him, this is not just another tournament on television. “It’s a World Cup at home. Anything can happen,” he added, hopeful but realistic about Mexico’s chances on their own soil.
At the sharp end of the championship, Kimi Antonelli views the same tournament with a different kind of detachment. Italy will not be there. The Mercedes driver is left picking emotional second teams.
He admitted he is still unsure who to support, but two names — or rather, one country and one man — keep pulling him in the same direction.
“I do really like Brazil, for example, the way they play the game,” he said. The style appeals to a driver who appreciates flair and rhythm in any sport. But his admiration is not limited to the yellow shirt.
“Again, I’m also cheering for Messi, one of my favourite players when I was little, and also I got to meet him in Miami,” Antonelli revealed, a childhood idol turned real-life encounter shaping his World Cup loyalties.
The sting, of course, is Italy’s absence. “Italy is not in it, unfortunately. So we’re going to wait another four years, maybe,” he said. Then came the blunt verdict, half smile, half wince: “It’s a disaster, but it’s okay.”
In Montreal, engines will scream and lap times will dominate the weekend. Yet in the quiet moments between sessions, it is football — Arsenal’s catharsis, PSG’s ambition, Mexico’s dream, Italy’s void — that tugs at the hearts of the men who spend their lives at 300 km/h.
Different flags, different colours, same obsession.
