KUALA LUMPUR — Seven-time Formula One (F1) world champion Lewis Hamilton who’s preparing to bid an emotional farewell to the Mercedes AMG Petronas team will deeply miss his Malaysian fans and the comforting taste of ‘roti canai’ — a dish that has become a heartfelt tradition during his visits to this vibrant Southeast Asian country.
The 39-year-old British driver however, remains positive and expressed that he would undoubtedly return to Malaysia if the Malaysian Grand Prix (GP) ever returns to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) in the future.
“Firstly, I’m going to miss them. Obviously, one of the perks or the good parts of the relationship was that Petronas would bring me out here and I’d get to engage with people here in Kuala Lumpur and that’s something I’m going to miss.
“And I hope that the GP maybe one day comes back here in the time that I’m still racing. I’ll always remember Roti Canai. This is my favorite dish here since the beginning. I’ll try and have it tonight,” he said.
In another session, a meet-and-greet with fans at Hall 6A-6C, KLCC saw 3,000 lucky winners of the Petronas campaign getting the opportunity to interact with the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in F1.
Hamilton, who joined Mercedes in 2013 to win six world championships, will be leaving the once-dominating Silver Arrows at the end of this season, which has a 24-race format, to join Ferrari in 2025.
The seven-time world champion (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), sharing the honour of most F1 world championship title victories with the sport’s great Michael Schumacher is also determined to go for a record eighth world championship.
On stage, Hamilton expressed that Malaysian fans have always been warm and supportive while encouraging them not to let anyone discourage their goals, as only they know what is best for themselves.
Meanwhile, one of the fans, Har Gobind Singh, 22, who tries to attend every event involving Hamilton and is willing to spend money to watch the F1 if it’s held in Singapore with seven other friends said it was a historic moment before Hamilton bids farewell and change to another team.
“It’s always the eight of us. It started from 2015, we always tried to be there for Hamilton and for us we hope the best for him after these,” he said.
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