Lewis Hamilton has revealed how he thought it was all over for him during a terrifying incident away from Formula 1.
Mercedes superstar Hamilton will go down in history as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time having won seven world titles.
However, in recent years, the Brit has struggled to perform at the top level as Mercedes continue to fall behind against the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
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Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari when the 2024 season comes to a close.
Recently, during his appearance on Hot Ones, Hamilton spoke about how doing a different sport away from F1 nearly killed him.
The 39-year-old explained his time surfing with the sport’s legend, Kelly Slater.
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He said: “It was 20-foot waves and Kelly was like, 'There's no way you're coming out there'. As I started to try to paddle in, I got sucked into the kill zone. I turn around and see this set of four waves coming. [I thought], 'It's over, it's all over'.
“I could hear this wave crash above me. My board got ripped off and snapped in half. I came back up gasping for air but the next one was coming so I went back down. I nearly ran out of air, I nearly drowned.”
Back in 2019, Hamilton revealed he was a huge fan of surfing.
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He said: “The amount of surfing I've been watching this year is crazy. Every single day, I'm online watching surfing - anything I can get. Surfing is the best feeling ever. I'm so happy here. I can't tell you how much I love surfing. When you get up, there's just no other feeling like it.”
So far in the 2024 season, Hamilton has collected 42 points, which puts him eighth in the standings.
The former champion is 12 points behind teammate George Russell and 127 points adrift of reigning champion Max Verstappen.
F1 returns next weekend with the Canadian Grand Prix, which will take place around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 9.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Formula 1
Marcus Chan