Just two days after a thrilling win in the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Britain’s 22-year-old motor racing sensation Lewis Hamilton jetted in to Le Bourget for a photocall on behalf of his new personal sponsor Learjet.
Hamilton is the newly-appointed international ambassador for the iconic business jet brand, and he took some time out to talk to Flight Daily News about aviation – and his life after winning the two most recent Formula 1 races in the space of just eight days!
Relaxing on board a Learjet 45XR in the static park at Le Bourget, he admitted he had very little idea of what to expect at the Paris show. He’s only ever been to one show before. “As a child, I did once go to a public show at Duxford, home of the British Imperial War Museum’s collection of flying and historic aircraft, but this is my first time at an event like this. But I’m sure that I’ll get plenty of other opportunities now I’m working so closely with Bombardier and Learjet.”
Hamilton’s stunning success in the first seven races of the F1 season - he has finished on the podium in all of them and won twice, to lead the world championship by ten clear points - means he is on his way to becoming a sporting great. But although owning and flying an aircraft is second nature to many grand prix drivers, the young Englishman doesn’t yet have a pilot’s licence. “Bombardier have said that I can have a go in their simulator,” he said, “and as soon as I get time, maybe at the end of the season, I’ll probably learn”.
“In the meantime, my new lifestyle means that I am frequently jetting around the world between races and I now always try to fly on Learjets whenever I can. The start to this season has been incredible and I feel very privileged that Bombardier and Learjet are my first ‘personal sponsors’. At the moment I’m living the dream that I’ve had since I was ten years old and it’s a steep learning curve. But it’s great to be here at Le Bourget and I’m enjoying every moment of it.”
n Lewis Hamilton’s team owner Ron Dennis was also at the Paris Air Show, having flown McLaren’s new young star to Le Bourget in his Bombardier Challenger 604.
Source: Flight Daily News
