Lewis Hamilton shows off stunning new tattoo of idol Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston ahead of Bahrain GP
LEWIS HAMILTON has shown off a new tattoo of his idol Muhammad Ali ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Five-time Formula One champion Hamilton, 34, was spotted at the Bahrain International Circuit with new ink down his right calf.
The famous image is from Ali’s 1965 victory over Sonny Liston that shows The Greatest stood over Liston’s body.
Hamilton has idolised the world-famous boxer, who died in 2016, for many years.
A week after Ali’s death, the British racing driver dedicated his Canadian Grand Prix win to the American.
On his slowing down lap, the Mercedes driver referenced one of the former heavyweight’s famous quotes: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
IDOLISING ALI
Afterwards, Hamilton said: “Ali was someone who inspired me so much. I’d love to be able to dedicate this to him and his family.
“Coming from a family of similar background in a sense of ethnicity, it was someone to look up to.
“In Formula One, there was no-one of the same colour as us as a family, so it was another athlete for me to look up.”
Three years and two more world titles later, Hamilton is preparing for the second race of the 2019 F1 season.
Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas beat Hamilton to the chequered flag in Melbourne a fortnight ago in the season’s curtain-raiser.