Lewis Hamilton admitted he shed a tear after Arsenal won the Premier League title, recounting a touching story about how his sister made him a Gunners fan. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion spoke during Thursday's FIA press conference ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Emotional Reaction to Arsenal's Title Win
Arsenal secured their first league crown since the 2004 'Invincibles' season on Tuesday night, after rivals Manchester City were held to a draw by Bournemouth. Hamilton, one of the club's most famous supporters, had the chance to praise the team on media day.
Asked how he felt when the title was confirmed, the 41-year-old replied: 'Like for everyone, very emotional. I shed a tear, to be honest, because I remember I was five years old and I used to play in Stevenage and Peartree Way, I used to play football with friends.'
'I was the only black kid in the area, out of the people I was playing with, and I remember trying to fit in and all of them supported different teams: West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester and so on. So I was bouncing between all these when I was like four or five years old, depending on who I was with.'
The Story of Becoming a Gooner
Hamilton shared a heartwarming anecdote about his sister: 'My sister, I was messaging her the other day, she was walking me home and she asked me what team I supported, and she gave me a dead arm, a little dig in my arm and said, 'You have to support Arsenal'. So we had a laugh yesterday about it.'
Hamilton was just 19 when Arsenal last won the league in 2004, still years away from his F1 debut. Since then, he has watched the Gunners win the FA Cup five times but endured near-misses in recent seasons.
'We've had so many close moments and, to finally get it, it was like, 'Wow'. A lot of emotion came up for me, as I'm sure it did for so many people. I'm just so happy and proud of the team,' he added.
Hamilton praised manager Mikel Arteta's direction: 'Obviously, Arsene [Wenger] was great, but I think the direction they've gone in the past couple of years has been fantastic. I've been very inspired by what they've done. I'm really, really proud of the team and I think they can go from strength to strength from here, and only get stronger.'
