“He's the best that's ever held the gun”: Lewis Hamilton earns high praise from Keanu Reeves’ John Wick trainer for his shooting skills

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's remarkable shooting prowess has garnered huge commendations from Hollywood star Keanu Reeves' John Wick gun trainer.

Highly regarded as one of the most formidable rivals on the track, Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to showcasing his prowess on the asphalt, and his 7x WDC titles serve as a testament to it. However, the Brit has garnered praise for his off-track antics as he headed towards the Simi Valley.

Being just an hour worth of drive from the northwest of Hollywood, Simi Valley is a go-to place for celebrities looking to hone their shooting skills or just prepping up for a movie. The facility is managed by Taran Butler, who coached Keanu Reeves for his shooting stint in the John Wick series.

Lewis Hamilton attempted to shoot various firearms, including pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles, for the first time in his life. Though he revealed shooting a single shot in the snow at one point in time, that's way different from targeted shooting.

However, the Silver Arrows driver managed to impress Butler on his first stint, following which the coach detailed the Briton's "A-class level" shooting. Butler said (via X):

"He's [Lewis Hamilton] literally like an A-class level at his first time ever. He never shot before. I called him later and said, 'Are you lying?' He's like, 'One time I shot a rifle like one shot in the snow somewhere.' That doesn't count."

He added:

"He's just unreal. He's the best that's ever held the gun. Not just at my place, I would say that's ever walked the Earth."

Lewis Hamilton sheds light on his "worst start" after suffering a major setback at the Australian GP

Unlike the first two races of the season, where the Red Bulls reigned supreme over the rest of the grid, the 2024 Australian GP favored the Scuderias. Max Verstappen's run ended on lap 4, as his rear brake malfunctioned with engulfing flames visible on the RB20. The Ferraris swept the stage with a 1-2 finish by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, respectively.

Lewis Hamilton's third F1 race of the season was ended by an engine failure on lap 17, marking the first time since the 2010 Australian GP that the 39-year-old failed to get past the Q2 qualifying session.

Overall, the dismal outing on the Albert Park Circuit, combined with his outside top-5 finishes- P7 in the Bahrain GP and P9 in the Saudi Arabian GP, has prompted Hamilton to state his current season as the "worst start."

The #44 driver shared his thoughts, saying (via F1 official release):

“This is the worst start to a season I’ve ever had...I think it’s tough on the spirit. I think for everyone in the team when so much work has gone on throughout the winter for everybody and you come in excited, motivated, and driven."

Hamilton added, highlighting the bitter reality:

"Then you’re with the mindset that you’re going to be fighting for wins, and then obviously that’s not the case."