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Lewis Hamilton's career has given F1 fans several joyous moments, but for one particular fan, it raked in money as well. Richard Hopkins, a motorsport enthusiast, discovered Hamilton as a young 13-year-old kid winning the karting championship against his son Evan in 1998. It was at this time that Hopkins put down a few future bets that would materialize almost a decade later and make him a rich man.
In the very first bet that he made, Richard Hopkins placed a $227 bet on Lewis Hamilton winning his first race by the age of 23, which had the odds of 200/1. Well, a 22-year-old Hamilton would accomplish this in his rookie year in Canada in 2007 and hence win Hopkins a sum of $45,450.
In the second bet, Hopkins placed $113 that the young McLaren driver would win the championship before the age of 25. The odds were 500/1 back then. As it turned out, Hamilton would win the title in 2008 at the age of 23. This particular bet yielded $56,813.
Finally, in the third bet, Hopkins placed $56 that Hamilton will accomplish both of the previous two bets at the odds of 1500/1. This bet gave Hopkins a sum of $85,200 making the total winnings $187,463. One can call it a precise eye or pure luck, but Hopkins was certainly one of the beneficiaries of Hamilton's early career success.
Lewis Hamilton looking forward to the 2023 F1 season
In an interview on the official Mercedes website, Lewis Hamilton stated that he is looking to bounce back next season after a somewhat disappointing 2022. In a season where he could not win a single race or even secure pole position, Hamilton finished P6 in the championship behind his teammate George Russell. When questioned about his thoughts on next season, the seven-time world champion said:
"I'm definitely excited for 2023. These last few years have been so difficult for so many around the world, so many people struggling with the war and many other things."
He added:
"I hope something kicks us all into gear to understand that we need to be more compassionate and caring to each other and I am praying for that all the time. A new year to be better, a new year to climb, keep fighting and unite even more. And it's another chance to fight for a World Championship."
The Mercedes driver will be looking forward to making a comeback next season and challenging for the title once again.
