Lewis Hamilton admits it’s likely he would have never reached Formula 1 without the support of Ron Dennis.
The Briton paid tribute to the former McLaren CEO as he revealed a mountain of messages he had received since winning his sixth world title two weeks ago in Austin.
Of course, it was with the British team that Hamilton had come through the junior ranks and made his debut in 2007 after first meeting Dennis nine years earlier at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.
And speaking via Crash.net in Brazil, he highlighted the importance of Ron to his career.
“I’ve still not got back to probably half the people that texted me,” Lewis began on Thursday referring to those who had congratulated him.
“I’m grateful for all of the people that cared to send me a text and congratulate me, but it’s a lot to reply to. There’s 400 messages or something, so it was a lot.
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“But seeing Ron’s [Dennis] text was really, really touched me inside, because I met him when I was 10 years old, and he saw something in me that no-one else did except for my dad.
“He gave me an opportunity to showcase my abilities and learn and to grow, and without him, I most likely wouldn’t have made it to Formula 1,” Hamilton stated.
“I would have fallen away due to a lack of finances, been leapfrogged by a bunch of individuals that had more money to back them.
“I’m forever grateful to Ron, and always have love for Ron, and I hope he feels some sort of pride. He said how proud he was. I hope that he can share and feel he is as much a part of this as anyone.”
Another former colleague Hamilton was “grateful” to hear from was Fernando Alonso, a man with who he famously fell out with in his rookie season before eventually building a healthy relationship.
“I got a text from Fernando as well which was pretty amazing, I was really grateful for that, because obviously we’ve gone through a whirlwind of experiences together over the years,” he noted.
“In all honesty, I always have respect for what he achieved and his ability, and also seeing his growth through his period of time at McLaren.”
The final person Hamilton singled out was Sebastian Vettel, who was one of the first to shake his hand in the cool-down room following the US Grand Prix.
“Recognition is not something that drives me,” Lewis claimed. “But it definitely is an honour when you have other drivers, particularly Seb, that you respect so much for their ability.
“Over the years you’ve commented on their ability and you’ve got belief in their ability, and you’ve then built a rapport that is constantly growing, and for them to take a moment to come and show that bit of respect is amazing.
“Each of us know how hard it is to do what we do. Us 20 drivers particularly know how hard it is to do what we do, and only a few of us truly know how hard it is to win on a consistent basis year on year, and Seb is one of those. So it’s really awesome.”