The Pieta on the shoulder of this world racing champion

One hardly has to look far for symbols of Lewis Hamilton’s religious devotion. An image of Pieta, Michelangelo’s sculpture of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of the dead Christ, is inked on his shoulder. Tattoos, though, are only the half of it.

These days, the four-time world champion’s faith is so integral to his life that he has become a regular churchgoer who prays before each meal.

“Every time I eat, I pray,” he says. “Everyone is talking and I say, ‘sorry, one second,’ and you just make the time. Sundays, I can’t wait, because I go to church. I go with a couple of my close friends and we leave feeling enlightened and empowered. It’s like a re-centering. Most of the time you leave and think, ‘Wow, I know where I am going.’”

As he prepares to sign a three-year, £120 million contract extension at Mercedes, making him Britain’s richest sports star by a distance, Hamilton finally appears at ease with his future direction. There is talk of having children, of working on more music. 

By Oliver Brown, chief sports feature writer

The Telegraph