EXCLUSIVE: Lewis Hamilton ignored Mercedes F1 team orders

A young racing star has revealed that F1 legend Lewis Hamilton ignored orders from his former Mercedes team in order to compete in a special event.

Hamilton drove with Mercedes for 12 seasons between 2013-2024, claiming six of his seven world championship titles and winning 84 grands prix.

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The Brackley-based outfit helped Hamilton to become the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, with the Brit holding the all-time records for the number of race victories and pole positions, and the joint all-time record with Michael Schumacher for the number of world championships.

However, Hamilton has now headed for pastures new, joining Ferrari for 2025 and beyond in the hope of challenging for an unprecedented eighth title.

Lewis Hamilton's Zane Maloney visit

Now, a champion in another motorsport series has revealed a heartwarming story about Hamilton and a visit to Barbados.

Barbados-born racing superstar Zane Maloney is a Formula E racer, having previously won the British F4 championship in 2019, and claimed two race victories in F2 last season with the Rodin Motorsport team.

Maloney has revealed that Hamilton ignored his team's concerns to race alongside young stars at Bushy Park, when Maloney was just 14 years of age.

Speaking to Jim Kimberley exclusively on behalf of GPFans, Maloney said: "I was 14, racing and karting at that stage [in 2017]. I was racing in the US or just before I actually went to the US, still racing in Barbados.

"Lewis came down for the Top Gear Festival and he brought the F1 car down. He was driving in the F1 car and the Radicals, and it was just like a day for lots of different cars going on track."

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He continued: "Lewis was meant to wave the green flag and the chequered flag, of course, because when we had asked his team if he could drive, they said: 'No chance because he has a race coming up in F1 and can't injure his ribs.'

"When Lewis found that out, he came straight over to us and said, 'Do you have a go-kart?' Obviously, we had a spare one, which was decked out in the Mercedes side pods and front of the kart as well. We were ready for it because we knew how Lewis probably could be.

"So he came to us, asked to drive, and the only thing he needed was a rib protector. He kind of told his team, 'I got this, I'm going to be fine,' got a rib protector for him. He came out in the go-karts.

"It was pouring with rain, so he didn't need to do that, and he was driving past everyone, slowing down, racing everyone, waving," he added.

"There's quite a famous YouTube video from a helmet cam of one of the drivers of Lewis coming and speaking to him, and that was very cool. Then he just realised when the last lap was coming, parked on the side of the track - in Barbados, it's very laid back - jumped out of the kart and waved the chequered flag.

"So, generally, it was just an amazing, amazing day. Of course, for me, looking up to Lewis, to think I'd be on the track with him was crazy. You could see the skill straight away from the time he jumped in; lap one, he was on the money in the wet, so it was a very good day."

Maloney was then asked whether he got to race alongside Hamilton: "We were on the track, yeah, we were on the track at the same time.

"Someone might have spoken to him saying who is trying to pursue racing and who is just having fun. So he came next to me, he was messing around with me, racing. It was very cool."

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