"I remember he couldn’t drive" - Lewis Hamilton's GP2 teammate shares story about 7-time F1 champion

Lewis Hamilton's former teammate Alexandre Premat has revealed his experience of sharing a team with the now seven-time world champion. The Frenchman was Hamilton's teammate in the GP2 series and used to drive him around to airports and races.

Many have said Lewis Hamilton is notoriously difficult to have as a teammate as he has had controversial rifts with Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg in the past.

Alexandre Premat is perhaps alone in saying that he enjoyed his time as Hamilton's teammate and recalled a time when the now seven-time world champion was too young to drive. He said:

“He was a younger guy; I remember he couldn’t drive so I used to drive him to races and between the airports. We were having dinner together all the time and that’s why we were a strong pair. He was a good person towards me and the team, a real hard worker and a cool guy."

Alexandre Premat has known Lewis Hamilton since their karting days in the 1990s, but properly got to know the boy from Stevenage in Formula Renault in 2002. The duo raced alongside each other in the GP2 series, which is now known as Formula 2. They raced for the French-based ART Grand Prix team in 2006 but managed to maintain a good friendship despite battling on track.

Premat said about their GP2 days:

“When he was my teammate in 2006 in GP2, the feeling straight away was very good, we knew that he would only spend a year in GP2, he was keen to do the same as Nico Rosberg [get into F1]. He was trying to get as much as he could from me and from the team to win the championship but the relationship between him and I during the whole of GP2 was very fantastic and I was a good teammate for him."

---

Lewis Hamilton silent on social media since controversial loss to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton is usually one of the most active F1 drivers on social media, posting stories almost every day. However, the seven-time world champion has been silent since his controversial loss to Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12. Many fans fear the Briton won't return to the sport in 2022.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff even hinted that "disillusioned" Lewis Hamilton may not return to the sport. He said in an interview with Sky F1:

“I think, as a racer, his heart will say ‘I need to continue' because he’s at the peak of his game. But we have to overcome the pain that was caused upon him on Sunday, also because he is a man with clear values, it’s difficult to understand that happened.”

Despite the cryptic statement from the Mercedes F1 team co-owner, experts such as Nico Rosberg and David Coulthard believe veteran Lewis Hamilton will return in the 2022 season and will once again fight for an eighth title win.