Formula One: Lewis Hamilton wants to drive in NASCAR

By Asher Fair | Nov 15, 2017

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 12: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on on the grid before the Formula One Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Four-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton says that he would like to drive in NASCAR at some point in his racing career.

Four-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, 32, may want to test his driving skills in a series other than Formula One in the near future.

Hamilton, who secured his fourth career Formula One championship a few weeks ago in the Mexican Grand Prix, would like to drive in the NASCAR Cup Series at some point over the course of the remainder of his racing career. He also wants to make an appearance in Talladega Nights 2, and he says he believes that he will have to be in NASCAR in order to do make that happen.

Hamilton sits in a 3rd place tie on the all-time Formula One championships list as a result of winning his fourth title. He trails only Michael Schumacher, who won seven titles, and Juan Manuel Fangio, who won five, on that all-time list.

Hamilton is 2nd to Schumacher with 62 career wins in Formula One, as Schumacher won 91 races, and he is the all-time pole position record holder with 72 career poles having just passed Schumacher’s previous record of 68.

Here is what Hamilton had to say about the subject of racing in NASCAR.

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"“I’m fully committed to F1 at the moment, but I think at some point in the future I might do, like, a guest appearance. But if Puma did it, I think it would look sick. We could make it look so cool. So, yeah, I can’t rule it out at the moment.”“I also just want to make an appearance in Talladega Nights 2, and I think I’d have to be in NASCAR for that.”"

Hamilton has, in fact, driven in NASCAR before, but not competitively. Back in 2011, he and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart did a seat swap at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Hamilton drove Stewart’s stock car, while Stewart drove Hamilton’s Formula One car.

Here is a video of that seat swap.

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon and Formula One’s Juan Pablo Montoya did a seat swap back in 2003, and Montoya ended up switching from Formula One to the NASCAR Cup Series just four years later. While Hamilton and Stewart’s seat swap was over six years ago now, don’t rule out Hamilton driving in the Cup Series, even if it isn’t in a full-time role.

Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?

Will Lewis Hamilton end up driving in NASCAR one day, or is it all talk and no substance like his claim about possibly attempting the Indianapolis 500 was? We may not know for a while, as his full-time commitment is still with Formula One for at least another season.

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