F1: Hamilton out to shine

May 24 2007 Western Mail

LEWIS HAMILTON yesterday became Monaco’s unofficial ’king of bling’ but insists he will not be distracted from his aim to be crowned Formula One’s new prince of the Principality.

The glamour and excess of the Monte Carlo street race was taken up a notch for Hamilton thanks to one of the leading diamond creators in Steinmetz.

The Geneva-based company yesterday presented Hamilton and team-mate Fernando Alonso with their own helmets that now carry the words ’Monaco 2007’ encrusted in diamonds on each side.

The presentation took place on board Steinmetz’s yacht moored in Monte Carlo’s harbour just yards away from the circuit’s swimming pool complex.

Hamilton and Alonso will wear the helmets over the course of the grand prix weekend, after which they will be auctioned off for a charity of their choice.

As gifts, the duo have also received a platinum and diamond ring – worth £5,000 – that sports a tyre tread around its circumference.

Their girlfriends will also each receive a diamond bracelet, while Hamilton has put in an additional request for a diamond earring.

“I’m all blinged up. I’ve bling on my helmet. How cool is that?” beamed the 22-year-old Briton who currently leads the drivers’ championship.

“It feels fantastic. I take a lot of care of my helmet, and now to have some diamonds on it...while the ring even spins!

“I’ve seen drivers in the past with diamonds on their helmets, and now it’s amazing to know it’s on mine.”

The last time Steinmetz created a diamond helmet for McLaren to celebrate the Monaco Grand Prix was in 2005 when Kimi Raikkonen emerged victorious.

Whether lightning can strike twice remains to be seen, although Hamilton added, “I’m not really superstitious.

“I don’t know if that’s going to have an impact on how well I do.

“All I know is I feel very comfortable and very optimistic heading into this weekend. I’m expecting it to go well.”

It would be easy for Hamilton to lose sight of the task in hand as the diamonds glitter in his eyes.

But the man who has taken Formula One by storm this year, and who has become the youngest leader of the championship in its 57-year history, is determined to remember the race for the right reasons.

Hamilton is chasing a maiden victory to add to his third place on his F1 debut in Australia, followed by his runner-up hat-trick in Malaysia, Bahrain and Spain.

He is no stranger to success on this circuit either as he won the GP2 event last year en-route to claiming the title, while he took the chequered flag in both F3 Euroseries races in 2005.

But Formula One at Monaco is a whole new ball game as he remarked, “I’ve come here as an F1 driver, and it is completely different outside the car.

“That’s because of the tension, the whole glitz and glamour. You start to see it and it is unreal.

“So I just need to make sure I am focused. You need to be focused here more than any other track because you have no room for error.

“If you make a slight mistake you are in the wall, and you’ve lost your radiator and all your wheels.

“You need to be relaxed, enjoy the atmosphere, the experience, but there is also a job to do.

“You need to be in the zone because to win here is difficult, and everything needs to go in your favour.”

But there is every chance of “something special” happening this weekend.