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Oblivious Lewis Hamilton Fulfilled Fan’s Dreams of Swimming With Dolphins by Unknowingly Adding Almost $200K to His Pockets

Published 08/15/2022, 7:55 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Lewis Hamilton has changed the face of F1 as we know it by raising the bar with his accomplishments each year he takes on the grid. There would be very few who wouldn’t select him in their fantasy driver lineup, as him bringing strong points for you is arguably the safest bet.

However, it was before his triumph that a gentleman put his money on the upcoming talent, which made him $198,000 richer. Richard Hopkins, a motorsport enthusiast, placed his bet on the Briton becoming a future F1 world champion in 1998, almost 10 years before he even debuted in the sport.

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The member of the team LH placed a $240 bet with the odds of 200/1 on him winning his first F1 race by age 23. In 2007, at the Canada GP, Hamilton in the McLaren crossed the chequered flag in P1, which made the Hopkins $48,000 richer.

Moreover, he placed a bet of $120 at odds of 500/1 that the Brit would become an F1 world champion by age of 25. In 2008, the boy from Stevenage realized his childhood dream, which not only brought triumph for him but also helped Hopkins pocket $60,000.

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Lastly, he put $60 on the upcoming talent of the sport clinching both his maiden win and title at the odds of 1,500/1. Henceforth, in 2008 at Interlagos, when Hamilton wore the crown of the champion of the world, his fan since childhood earned another $90,000.

The Lewis Hamilton fan who bet the bottom dollar

‘Grass is always greener on the other side’, such was the case for the fan of the future F1 megastar. The year was 1998, and Richard Hopkins arrived at a go-kart track with his son, aiming to cheer him on for the win that day. Nevertheless, it was Hamilton that turned his head with his exceptional race craft in the junior category.

At this time, Hamilton was of the mere age of 13 years old and a rival of Hopkin’s son, Evan on track. The rivalry did not let Evan’s father get swayed from acknowledging another talent and he put his money on Hamilton, reaching top-flight racing and accomplishing all the accolades. Indeed, it was a fruitful decision for the early LH44 fan.

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Before the 2008 Brazil GP, the emotions were running high for Lewis Hamilton in his car as he was in contention to win his first world championship. However, he was not the only Englishman who felt the nerves that day. Hopkins said, “I was trying not to watch, and I was practically hiding behind the sofa. To be honest, I thought he had blown it.”

“I’ve known Lewis from his early days, and it was easy to see he had an obvious driving ability, coupled with a fantastic attitude to racing. I just had a hunch he would go on to bigger and better things.”

“It was a long shot, but it paid off,” he concluded.

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Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton’s most outlandish outfits

At the end, the driver with ‘Still We Rise’ on his crash helmet ensured that they both rise together in their own bets for themselves.

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Written by:

Anish Arora

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Anish Arora is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. It is the competitive nature of the sport that not only made him an adherent follower of F1, but also inspired him to start his journey as an author for the most prestigious racing series in the world. Anish initially started writing for Formula 1 during his undergrad and now is a huge fan of the 'Silver Arrows'.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh