Vegan F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Just Had His Best Season in 12 Years

Five-time Formula 1 racing champion Lewis Hamilton is having the best start to the season since his debut. The British vegan athlete, currently in the lead after winning seven out of eleven races, may be on his way to another world championship. And he clinched a Grand Prix victory in Hungary earlier today.

“My first season was pretty strong – the first nine races I was on the podium,” Hamilton recalled his first race in McLaren ahead of last weekend’s German Grand Prix, per the Guardian.

“Since then I don’t recognise another season being as strong as this one, having the seven wins. All the years at Mercedes we have maybe had 10 in a season but never seven in the first 10 so it definitely is an outlier and something we are really proud of,” he continued, noting that the road to a sixth F1 championship remains a challenge. “But we have to keep our head down and keep pushing.”

Hamilton placed ninth in last week’s German Grand Prix. “We’re in a fortunate position, potentially, if we can hold on to Max to be able to work together to pull him closer to us and give him a bit of a run for his money,” Hamilton told F1, prior to the Hungarian race.

‘The Game Changers’

Hamilton went vegan in 2017 after watching the documentary “What the Health” and has since been vocal about how it has boosted his athletic career.

“I was 68kg (150lb). I’ve had to be that weight for the past 12 years and finally rules change this year and I can eat a little more and bulk up. I’m at 75kg (165lb) now and happier,” he wrote on Instagram earlier this year following F1 driver weight regulations. “Adding weight was easy and I did this on a vegan diet.”

Alongside Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 34-year-old driver is an executive producer of James Cameron’s upcoming documentary “The Game Changers.” The film aims to bust the myth that athletes need meat to be at the top of their game by featuring the likes of Hamilton, five-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, surfing gold medalist Tia Blanco, and more.

A growing body of research shows that a plant-based diet may be best for optimal health. Many athletes have reported better rest and recovery time after cutting meat, dairy, and eggs out of their diet.

“Performance is everything and it all begins with having the optimal fuel,” Hamilton wrote on Facebook late last month, adding that he’s proud to be an executive producer for the documentary. “If we want to feel good, have more energy, and perform to our best, we need to have the right fuel in our bodies.”

“The Game Changers” is set to release in theaters on September 16.