British Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton at the Elle Style Awards in London, Britain, 24 February 2015. File Picture: EPA/HANNAH MCKAY
Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton is going to focus on "film and fashion" when he retires from racing.
The Formula 1 star is already mulling over his future away from the track as he prepares for a big move from Mercedes to Ferrari next year and has revealed he's sought advice from some of the biggest names in sport who have since stepped away from competitions.
He told GQ’s annual Creativity Issue: "I’d spoken to so many amazing athletes, from Boris Becker to Serena Williams, even Michael Jordan. Talking to greats that I’ve met along the way, who are retired - or some that are still in competition - and the fear of what’s next, the lack of preparation for what’s next.
"A lot of them said: ‘I stopped too early.’ Or: ‘Stayed too long.’ ‘When it ended, I didn’t have anything planned.’ ‘My whole world came crashing down because my whole life has been about that sport'.
"Some of them were like: ‘I didn’t plan and it was a bit of a mess-up because I was really lost afterwards. There was such a hole. Such a void. And I had no idea how I was going to fill it. And I was in such a rush initially to try and fill it that you fill it with the wrong thing ...
"But it just got my mind thinking about: 'Okay, when I stop, how do I avoid that?' And so I got serious about finding other things that I was passionate about."
He added: "I went through this phase of understanding that I can’t race forever ... Because when I stop, I’m gonna drop the mic and be happy."
Hamilton went on to reveal he has many passions he wants to pursue, but he needs to narrow it down so he's decided to focus on film and fashion - and wants to set up a luxury brand company to rival LVMH which boasts names including Tiffany Co., Christian Dior and Givenchy.
He explained: "The difficult thing is I want to do everything. I’m very ambitious. But I understand that you can’t do—actually, I take that back because I don’t believe in the word can’t.
"To be a master at something, there’s the 10,000 hours it takes. Obviously, I’ve done that in racing. There’s not enough time to master all of these different things ...
"I think it’s gonna be film and fashion ... Honestly, one of my dreams is I have thought about creating my own diverse LVMH. Like, I don’t know if we live in a time where that’s really possible. But that’s something that I’m conceptualising."
Hamilton has previously ventured into both music and movies - founding his own production company called Dawn Apollo Films - and he's also collaborated with American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
BANG Showbiz