Hamilton bares his heart with podium strip

Lewis Hamilton bared body and soul on Sunday after stripping down to his waist on the podium following his victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver, who had already clinched his fifth Formula One championship, has a large cross and the words ‘Still I rise’ tattooed prominently on his back, with plenty of ink elsewhere as well.

The Briton said he had wanted to use it as an inspiration for others.

“I’ve always kind of wanted to do it, because I wanted to show ‘Still I rise’,” he told Sky Sports television when asked about his celebrations.

“And I think it was the perfect moment because that’s really how it’s been this year.” The Briton ended the season with 11 wins, equalling his best for a campaign, but the year did not start out that way with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel winning the first two and Hamilton on the back foot. For much of the first half of the season, the champion was telling people he did not have the quickest car but he and Mercedes came back strongly after the August break and reaped the rewards.

Hamilton,

Formula One’s first black champion who has risen from an underprivileged background to success and wealth beyond his dreams, urged people to read ‘Still I Rise’, a poem by American Maya Angelou.

“Please go and read it because it applies to anyone who’s stumbling and falling,” he said.

I’ve always kind of wanted to do it, because I wanted to show ‘Still I rise