Caribbean-Roots Hamilton Dedicates Fifth Canadian Grand Prix Win To Ali

Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 12, 2016 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Peter J Fox/Getty Images)

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, MONTREAL, Canada, Mon. June 13, 2016: British-born, Grenada-roots Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton walked away with a fifth win in the Canadian Grand Prix Sunday, dedicating it to the late boxer, Muhammad Ali.

Hamilton climbed on top of his car for a little shadow boxing after he drove the Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo to a win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 12, 2016 in Montreal, Canada.

Then he jumped down to the ground and did the Ali Shuffle. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” he radioed to his crew after winning the Grand Prix for the fifth time.

Hamilton said Ali was someone he latched onto as a child. “Obviously, in Formula One, there was no one of the same color as us as a family, so it was another athlete for me to look up to,” he said.

“I think he was just a unique, iconic individual who had a character unlike anyone else’s. And everyone aspired to be like him,” Hamilton said. “I wish I could have spoken with the charisma that he would have, or the comedic side that he had, that confidence that he could carry into a fight and outwit and outsmart his opponents.

“I think the things that he stood for, more important: believing in who you are and not letting anyone dictate who you have to be.”

It was Hamilton’s 45th career F1 win.

Hamilton’s mother, Carmen (Larbalestier), is white British, while his father, Anthony Hamilton, is black British, making him mixed-race. Anthony Hamilton’s parents moved to the UK from Grenada in the 1950s. Lewis Hamilton has an estimated personal fortune of £88m.