Lewis Hamilton reveals he is ‘missing’ life in England, 13 years after leaving for tax havens Switzerland and Monaco, as he talks of his love of ‘trees and the countryside’ and British ‘pride’ while preparing to seal a seventh Formula One title
- Lewis Hamilton left his home country in 2007 and moved to Switzerland
- In 2012, he moved to Monaco and said he had found life too quiet in Switzerland
- Hamilton, 35, pays taxes in Britain despite having now lived in two tax havens
- His F1 success this season has made him the favourite to win the BBC’s SPOTY
Lewis Hamilton has opened up on how much he misses living in England after more than 13 years of living abroad.
In 2007, Hamilton departed England for Switzerland, saying that he was safeguarding his privacy by moving to a different country. He left in 2012 for Monaco, saying he was bored in Switzerland and that Monaco offered him more of a social life.
But taking to social media on Wednesday, Hamilton gave a fond reflection of life in his home country.
Lewis Hamilton has revealed how much he misses England after living abroad since 2007
Hamilton posted on Instagram on Wednesday about how much he misses his home country
Lewis Hamilton took the 93rd victory of his career at Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
‘This year I have missed England more than any year since I’ve live (sic) abroad,’ Hamilton wrote.
‘I never miss the cold or grey skies but the countryside, the trees, cars driving on the right side of the road lol the little villages I used to drive through and Buckingham palace where I’ve always wanted to live (kidding, that’s a line from the movie cool runnings).
‘Anyway, I’m so proud to stand and represent the British flag and I’m so grateful to those who support me. The greatest honour an athlete gets is to stand and lift the flag of their nation. I will continue to do so for as long as I can.’
Both Switzerland and Monaco are tax havens but Hamilton is also among the top 5,000 taxpayers in the United Kingdom.
‘What people don’t realise is that I pay tax here, but I don’t earn all my money here,’ he once told the Sunday Times Style magazine.
The 35-year-old Hamilton underlined his pride of competing under the Union Jack
Hamilton has lived in two tax havens since he left Britain back in 2007 but has previously spoken of how he deals with his finances as he earns money in many different countries
Hamilton pictured in 2008, a year after he had left England and moved to Switzerland
‘I race in 19 different countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay tax in several different places, and I pay a lot here as well.
‘I am contributing to the country and, not only that, I help keep a team of more than 1,000 people employed. I am part of a much bigger picture.’
Earlier this year, Hamilton’s wealth came in at an estimated £224m, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. He was top of the sports standings.
The 35-year-old is now on the brink of clinching a record-equalling seventh world title on November 15 at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Hamilton is thriving on the track and has surpassed Michael Schumacher’s 91 race wins
Hamilton is also on the cusp of matching Schumacher’s seven world titles this season
Hamilton needs to finish ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to clinch victory, and a seventh title would see him match Michael Schumacher’s record. He recently surpassed the legendary Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula One race wins.
His success this season has made him favourite to be crowned the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.
Sportsmail revealed last month that Marcus Rashford is set to be overlooked on the shortlist, despite his captivating Free School Meals campaign, as candidates must be nominated on reflection of sporting achievement.
But last Sunday, Hamilton dropped a bombshell by hinting he could walk away from Formula One by saying: ‘I would like to be here next year but there is no guarantee of that. There is a lot that excites me about F1’s afterlife, so time will tell.’
It is doubtful that Hamilton is serious about retiring. He is believed to be hopeful of clinching a £40m-a-year deal to remain at Mercedes beyond the 2020 season.