Lewis Hamilton reveals how 'dead arm' sparked remarkable off-track F1 journey

Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his beloved Arsenal securing a first Premier League title in over two decades, and how a dead arm from his sister has led to him drawing influence from the North London team in his own career.

Manchester City's draw with Bournemouth in the penultimate game of the season saw the Mikel Arteta-led side clinch the championship crown for the first time since the Invincibles in 2003-04.

And whilst Arsenal still must overcome Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League final in Budapest, Hamilton made no attempt to mask his joy at what the team has already achieved this year.

"I think like for everyone, [I was] very emotional," the seven-time F1 drivers' champion told media, including RacingNews365.

"I shed a tear, to be honest, because I remember I was five years old and I used to play in the local [in] Stevenage, Peartree Way, used to play around the corner football with friends.

"And I was the only black kid in the area, and out of the people that I was playing with, I remember trying to fit in, and all of them supported different [teams], West Ham, Tottenham and Manchester [United]."

Dead arm to lifelong support

The 41-year-old revealed that his sister encouraged him to support the Gunners, sharing a light-hearted story about how she swayed him with a punch in the arm.

"So, I was bouncing between all these when I was like four or five years old, depending on who I was with," the Ferrari driver explained.

"And my sister, I remember exactly, I messaged her the other day, she was walking me home, and she asked me what team I supported, and she gave me a dead arm. But then she gave me a little dig in my arm and said, 'You have to support Arsenal.' So, we had a laugh about it."

Reflecting on a two-decade-long hunt that yielded four FA Cups and three Community Shields — but no league title — he said: "But we’ve had so many near close moments, and to finally get it, it was wow.

"A lot of emotion came up for me, as I’m sure for so many people. I’m just so happy and proud of the team.

"And obviously, Arsenal was great," he added, after the team beat already-relegated Burnley at home the day before, piling the pressure on City.

"I think the direction they’ve gone in the past couple of years has been just fantastic. So very inspired by what they’ve done, really proud of the team, and I think they can go from strength to strength from here and only get stronger."

Applying lessons from further afield to F1

The 105-time grand prix winner was also asked whether he hopes to be afforded the same time at Ferrari that Arteta was given to turn around the situation at Arsenal, with the team mired in relative mediocrity when the Spaniard took over in 2019.

Hamilton, who is frequently called on to walk away from F1 despite showing resurgent form this season, expressed how he takes inspiration from other teams and leaders, like Arsenal and Arteta, to improve his own performance in motorsport.

"And in terms of my time with my team, yeah, I’m always looking for other leaders who are doing great things and how they work with teams," the British driver added.

"I’m always trying to learn how I can be a better colleague, a better team-mate to the people around me, how I can extract more from myself but also from the people, from the groups that I get to work with. Because teamwork really does make the dream work. It’s a real thing.

"And when you have a huge group of people, there are so many different energies, and you have to be quite dynamic to be able to integrate into those different sections."

Nonetheless, Hamilton was keen to emphasise the position of strength he feels he and Ferrari are in, adding: "But I feel like we’re in a really good place. I’m in a good place with my team.

"There’s always going to be teething issues and stuff that you always have to work on. But yeah, I’m really happy."