Lewis Hamilton risked dying when hit by an 8 meter wave

• F1

Lewis Hamilton is a huge surfing enthusiast. He also surfed with one of the greatest surfers of all time, Kelly Slater, capable of winning a string of titles over a twenty-year period. The British driver, winner of 7 Formula 1 world titles, had almost risked his life surfing with Kelly Slater.

Lewis, in an interview with Robb Report, got into the water and accepted Slater's challenge to surf a big wave at the legendary Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii: "Kelly said to me, There's no way you're going there. I replied: I'm going out.

It was a huge tunnel, I could see Kelly in front of me. I just had to make sure I didn't get sucked in. So I dived in, held on to the reef and prayed. I could feel the wave landing behind me, it was like a bomb exploding. My board was torn and split in half.

I thought I was very close to the end."

Lewis Hamilton signed a new contract!

After Lewis Hamilton signed a new contract with Mercedes, rumors immediately appeared about how much the Briton will earn. Some believe that Lewis will earn as much as Max.

Precisely because of this, Martin Brundle took the opportunity during the F1 Italian GP to ask Toto Wolff about whether Hamilton will have the same salary as Max. “I don’t know what Max earns," Wolff said, as quoted by crash.net!

Hamilton's new two-year contract made all Mercedes and British fans happy. Lewis will have a chance to show his qualities in the coming years. Toto Wolff, CEO of the team, is especially happy that the story finally got a positive epilogue.

The Austrian emphasized that it was difficult to imagine Hamilton in another team: "I think, first of all, his role with the team will go on for a longer period, even when he decides not to drive. I can’t see him driving for another team.

He is going to always be this iconic racing driver and personality." Hamilton can be equally good in the coming years, and whether he will lose his qualities with age, Wolff emphasized that age does not play any role: "I very much hope that our careers and journey continues beyond racing.

You see athletes pushing boundaries. We have scientific understanding of how to live our lives. Tom Brady is a good example. He is, for me, one of the greatest athletes in terms of being on the pitch, he was 44 or 45 and still throwing the ball."