“Believe in yourself” – A conversation with Lewis Appiagyei, the young racing champion who is vying for the top of the Formula 1 podium

“Believe in You” – Lewis Appiagyei, a Guinness world record holder, reveals his plans to make it into Formula 1 and become a champion, just like his legendary namesake Lewis Hamilton.

1. Tell us about your early years and childhood. What was it like growing up in Camden & Hong Kong?

I was born in London (Camden) in 2007. Camden is still hands down the coolest place in London and has been for a long time. It’s a real melting pot of different cultures and people from all over the world live here. It also attracts a lot of visitors. I didn’t discover that myself until I was growing up. When I was one year old, my parents moved to Hong Kong, where they had lived and worked for some time before I was born. As a kid growing up in Asia’s technology capital, we were treated to the latest gadgets before the rest of the world got them. When Sony introduced the PSP (Play Station Portable), the indispensable technology at the time, my father got one. My fondest memory was when I was first introduced to playing racing games, my father was a great gamer himself. The game that sparked my love for real racing and esports was the racing game Ridge Racer on the PSP. I played it for the first time when I was just 2 years old and I was good at it!

2. You started karting at a very young age. Describe your experience at Buckmore Park Kart Circuit, known for its association with F1 champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

I started karting at Buckmore Park when I was 7 and loved it straight away. I knew instinctively that this would be the start of my journey into Formula One. The staff there were all very friendly and there was a real camaraderie between the drivers and the parents. We’re still in touch with a lot of the guys we met back when it all started. It was great to have my first successes as a Bambino go-karter. Coming home with a trophy, even if it was only a small one at the time, felt great. I won two once in a single day and broke the course record for my age group and that got the press attention so they gave me a whole back cover of the paper which was really cool. Many more trophies have followed since then and we no longer know exactly where to put them all. My mom always
complains about having to dust them off!

3. What was it like breaking the Guinness World Record and making it into the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 class?

It felt absolutely amazing and totally surreal at the same time when I received the famous Guinness World Record Certificate. I’d always seen shows on television about people trying to break records and make it into the famous record book, and I was in the record books myself when I was 10. To be on the world famous Forbes list for Africa has been so humbling and such an honor that I cannot put it into words. To be recognized for your achievements and to be considered one of the shining lights of a continent is truly one of the brightest gems on my resume.

“Age is a question of mind about matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. ”~ Mark Twain # forbes30under30
Class of 2020 pic.twitter.com/SAMiHfyrPm

– Lewis Appiagyei (@LewisAppiagyei) May 23, 2020

4. You recently did an internship at McLaren. Join us on your journey with some of the brightest minds in racing.

It was an honor for me to win a place in this prestigious, real project. Unfortunately, I am not really allowed to talk much about it as you can imagine that it is all confidential. Because of the lockdown, everything was via Zoom video calls. I still hope that when things open up again there will be a chance to reconnect with the McLaren F1 engineers who were involved in the project and visit the McLaren Technology Center again. My real goal at McLaren right now is to be in their junior driver program, that’s my top priority.

5. Stay with Formula 1, who is your favorite driver from the current grid? And which team would you like to drive for in the future?

My favorite driver is of course my namesake Lewis Hamilton. As for the teams, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull would all be great, but I’ll take every opportunity to get on the F1 grid regardless of the team.

6. Formula 1 has brought a large number of young stars into the squad, including Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. How do you see the future of sport in this decade and beyond?

The future of Formula 1 looks bright. As for young talented drivers moving up, it will be very difficult to replace drivers like Hamilton in the years to come and F1 is going to need another superstar racer in the shape of Hamilton to keep people tuning I think , Drivers like Jamie Chadwick are set to become a familiar sight in F1 very soon, and a race winner is on the horizon too.

7. We know Lewis Appiagyei for karting, racing and esports. What else do you do in your free time?

I do athletics and fencing to stay fit, build core strength and endurance, which is important for racing drivers. We don’t just sit in the car and drive around. It is very physically demanding. Besides that, I’m really into football. Of course, I support Arsenal and follow everything to do with football very closely. Playing FIFA and Fortnite are things that I enjoy. I also listen to rap music and watch anime. And responding to journalists around the world about what’s cool so far.

8. You’re a fan of Arsenal, like Hamilton. Arsenal have been fighting since Arsene Wenger’s departure. Where do you think they are wrong?

Good question! Every Gooner, as Arsenal supporters are called, has their own opinion on why Arsenal have been struggling since Wenger’s departure. My opinion is based on missed opportunities such as not signing one of the best players in the world (Kylian Mbappé) when he was available. Plus, we’ve waited too long in the past to buy the right players at the right time. In both the English Premier League and Formula 1 you will find the teams that invest well and have the best players or drivers at the top of their game, like Man City or the Mercedes F1 team. To be honest, Arsenal isn’t here yet.

9. What are your plans for racing and when can the fans see you in their scenes or live on the track?

My plan is to become an F1 driver for the next 5 years so everything I do now is geared towards that goal. I plan to produce and launch a series of documentaries to document my journey into Formula 1 for my fans. I call the project “T MINUS 5” – this brand will be a countdown to my F1 debut. It represents a real statement of intent and commitment to a stated timeframe, a proactive stance to raise the finances required for this epic project. Just asking for money to race is not my business. I want my supporters to feel connected to my goal and vision of becoming an F1 champion. I intend to invite passionate and dedicated production companies and brands who can see what I see.

10. You are a youth icon who is an inspiration to many. What’s your message to them?

Thank you for this day, I acknowledge that I am in a somewhat privileged position to have such a platform. The words that I’ve been carrying around with me since I was 10 are my maxim: “Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams and anything is possible.”

I spoke these words at the end of my first big award ceremony and my first public speech. In my humble opinion, if you are to be successful you have to believe in yourself first. Don’t believe in people who put you down. Those who say, “You can’t!” Ignore them.

Be passionate about your dreams. Most of all, study and work hard for it and you will achieve your goal because the most important person who believes in you is yourself.

Read more Lewis Appiagyei: Everything You Need to Know About the Go-Kart Champion Wanted to Emulate Namesake Lewis Hamilton