Lewis Hamilton will celebrate making Formula One history on Sunday in surprising fashion.
The newly-crowned seven-time drivers’ world champion may be Britain’s richest sportsperson with a net worth reported by The Sunday Times of 224 million pounds ($A406 million).
Yet after winning the Turkish Grand Prix he said he had become used to the strict coronavirus protocols that required him to adopt a quiet, no-frills lifestyle.
“This year, I haven’t gone out and I haven’t gone to dinner,” he said.
“I have just been staying in my bubble.
“I get room service every day and it’s not really anything exciting and that’s naturally because I’ve got a championship to fight for.
“So, I didn’t want to take any risks. I think, this year, I sacrificed more than I have in my whole life.
“And, you know, it’s really made it quite difficult. I’m going to go home tonight and most likely it is not going to be the most exciting thing.
“I’m probably just going to maybe watch the race and I usually have like a minestrone soup, but I’ll definitely have a bottle of wine.”
Team chief Toto Wolff conceded on Sunday that Mercedes’ next contract with Lewis Hamilton had “got really more expensive.”
Wolff, the man behind Hamilton and Mercedes’ amazing run of success since 2014, also forecast that the pair – who are both out of contract this year – would likely delay their contract finalisation talks until the season ends.
“I don’t feel like I should add any pressure,” he said.
“It has to be organic and not something that’s forced – we have three races ahead in the Middle East so it’s a bit more chilled.
“It’s not done, but we will get it done I’m sure.”
