If you got into some scrapes playing Gran Turismo over Christmas, you could have been playing against Lewis Hamilton all along.
The seven-time World Champion spoke about enjoying his down-time over the festive period, which included time on his games console and he said he ended up getting crashed into by a fan of his – with the player’s username being something of a giveaway on that front.
“I have Gran Turismo and I play that sometimes during Christmas and I go online,” Hamilton said in a video posted by Mercedes on their social media channels.
“And the last time I played it over Christmas, there was someone with my initials like LH or Lewis, or Lewis GB or something like that, or something 44 – and he kept taking me out. He had no idea he was racing me!”
“You’ve found me,” came the quick response from team-mate George Russell sat next to him.
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Back in the real world of Formula 1 however, Mercedes fired up their 2023 challenger before their Christmas shutdown, though they are yet to confirm when the W14 will be unveiled to the world ahead of the new season.
Last year was Hamilton’s first in Formula 1 without taking a race victory, with the seven-time World Champion looking to get back into title contention alongside Russell at Mercedes after the team struggled to match Red Bull and Ferrari as Formula 1 made mass regulation changes.
He is heading into the final year of his current Mercedes contract, though both he and team principal Toto Wolff are confident of agreeing to an extension to his deal, as he searches for a record-breaking eighth title.
