"It just makes me smile": When Lewis Hamilton admitted to satisfaction in remembering his doubters

Lewis Hamilton has never been shy of sharing his Formula 1 journey. And during a title fight with Nico Rosberg in 2016, he opened up about the quiet satisfaction he felt while remembering those who doubted him.

By then, Hamilton was already a three-time world champion with 49 race wins. But ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix that year, he reflected on his early years, growing up in Stevenage and making his way into the sport. The grind to reach F1 had been long and full of voices telling him he wouldn't make it.

Speaking to ESPN in October 2016, Hamilton said:

"It just makes me smile because I think of all the people that said I wouldn't, said I couldn't, said I wasn't good enough. They sometimes pop up in the back of my mind and it makes me smile remembering what they made me feel like at the time in order to make themselves feel great, you know what I mean? They put someone down, said that I'm nothing, and now, with what I've turned into and who I am, it makes me smile and feel at peace. Whatever negative they put in and installed in me is at peace because I've corrected it and balanced it," he added.

Lewis Hamilton's point was simple. The doubt, criticism, and even ridicule he faced in karting and junior racing only fueled him. His rise was quick once he got his break.

Backed by McLaren from his teenage years, he progressed through Formula Renault, F3, and GP2 with championship wins before debuting in F1 in 2007. Just a year later, he became world champion.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren with his father, Anthony Hamilton, after the 2017 Australian GP. Source: Getty

Five years later, a bold move to Mercedes in 2013 put him in a position to dominate the hybrid era. And by 2016, he had already won back-to-back titles.

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How Lewis Hamilton's 2016 F1 title slipped away

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton entered 2016 as a two-time defending champion, but the year didn't begin as he had expected. In the first five rounds, two MGU-H failures and a string of poor starts left him 43 points behind Nico Rosberg in the standings. He recovered brilliantly, winning six of seven races before the summer break to take a 19-point lead.

Then came more setbacks. A grid penalty in Belgium, linked to his earlier reliability issues, cost him momentum. Rosberg capitalized, winning in Belgium, Italy, and Singapore to swing the points gap back in his favour.

In Malaysia, Hamilton's season took its biggest hit. Leading comfortably, his engine failed, costing him 25 points and sparking a wave of speculation and conspiracy theories online. Speaking later, Hamilton explained how deeply he felt both the highs and lows (via ESPN):

"In the past I'd often leave a race like Malaysia and struggle a lot more with dealing with it and generally dwelling on things... But eventually you just learn to take the positives from it and leave the sh** behind. If anything, it's benefitted my life a huge amount."

Despite winning the final four races of the season, it wasn't enough for Hamilton. Rosberg secured the championship with 385 points to Hamilton's 380. It was the only time in the hybrid era that the Briton would be beaten by a teammate.