Sir Lewis Hamilton, the reigning Formula One champion, says he fears driving outside of a racetrack.
According to Vanity Fair, the seven-time British Formula One champion claims he seldom drives on the roads due to the possibility of anything going wrong.
He claims he finds things like traffic congestion, zebra crossings, and T-junctions “stressful.”
The 37-year-old, who has been a Mercedes driver since 2013, made the admission while driving on congested roads in the south of France for the magazine’s September edition.
He remarked, “I simply believe I find it stressful.”
He added, “This is now difficult for me,” as he was travelling through the south of France.
This street is insane. There is a lot going on here. We’re on these roads, so anything is possible.
The racetrack, where the roads are cleaner but the speeds are considerably faster, is a long cry from here.
He possesses a sizable collection of automobiles and motorcycles, including a McLaren P1, a Ferrari LeFerrari, and an MV Agusta bike, despite his unwillingness to use a motor vehicle on public highways.
But in order to minimise the harm the sport makes to the environment, he mostly sticks to driving an electric Mercedes EQC.
As he has previously said, “Some of it is education because not everyone realises the footprint that our sport now has and what we’re doing to attempt to enhance it.”
But I’m also going through a lot of personal changes.
In his interview with Vanity Fair, he continued to discuss another phobia he has when searching the globe for competition: spiders.
He said that the long-standing fear makes him dread his travels to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, which causes him to ask for apartments higher up to escape the animals.
Before he settles up, he even goes to the trouble of looking around the room for spiders.
Some remark, “Dude! You travel at a speed of 200 mph! And I’m like, ‘That’s simple for me in terms of the terror component,’ he added.
He hurdles at 200 mph on the racetrack, yet he is unfazed.
In fact, he looks for adrenaline-pumping activities to occupy his downtime, such as skydiving, rock climbing, and surfing.
He concedes, “I suppose we’re simply all wired differently.”