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Lewis Hamilton Joins Millions in Mourning Crushing Brazilian FIFA Defeat, With a Message to Weeping Neymar

Published 12/10/2022, 3:15 AM EST

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“Brazil are OUT! The Shock has happened!” It was a devastating piece of commentary for the people from the Land of the Holy Cross. And most of all, for the Men in Yellow standing on the pitch in Education City, Qatar. Meanwhile, 7X F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, who recently became a Brazilian citizen, also joined in supporting Neymar and Co.

Lewis Hamilton has always had a close connection with Brazil. He recently received his honorary citizenship in the country’s Congress during the 2022 Brazilian GP weekend in November. The Mercedes driver has also won 3 times around the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.

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Besides, Hamilton was expecting the Brazilian soccer team to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Many fans globally speculated that they will easily beat Croatia to qualify for the Semis. But Brazil’s campaign was brought to a screeching halt in the Quarter Final clash. The Croatian team held on to a tied scoreline of 1 – 1 and won the game in the penalty shootout by 4 – 2.

via Reuters

Most Brazilian players, including Neymar, were weeping tears in shock on the pitch after Marquinhos missed his spot kick. Lewis posted on his Instagram story to show support for the millions of Brazilian fans and a devastated Neymar and Co.

Lewis wrote in his story, “I’m so proud of you all! @neymarjr @danialves” Although a simple consoling message may not be enough to hold Neymar’s tears, Lewis certainly resonates with the whole team. Given how he has missed out on championships in a heartbreaking manner, his message surely has empathy.

“If You Can Lose a Championship Through Wrongdoing…”: Lewis Hamilton Reveals Intense Mental Healing Process Recoiling From Abu Dhabi Heartbreak

It is almost a year back that Hamilton lost the nail-biting title battle just in the neighboring land of Qatar, in Abu Dhabi. Although he had suffered closer and more heartbreaking championship losses earlier in his career.

The Heartbreak moment for Lewis Hamilton in Brazil

Brazil has seen both the highs and lows of Lewis Hamilton’s career. But the loss of his rookie season perhaps would have been the most gut-wrenching for Briton. Just imagine the scenario, he led the championship race by 10+ points (10 points for a win back then) going into the final 2 races, and he still lost it!

via Getty

Lewis was leading Fernando Alonso by 12 points and Kimi Raikkonen by 17 points going into the penultimate race in China. If he had won the Chinese GP, he would have sealed the 2007 championship, becoming the first rookie world champion.

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Eventually, Hamilton suffered a retirement in the China race, as he beached his car near the pit lane entry while coming in for a stop. It was a big blow as Raikkonen took the win from Alonso, cutting down Hamilton’s lead. And in the final race in Brazil, Lewis was going to get the knockout blow.

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In a tense battle at Interlagos, Hamilton needed to finish at least 5th assuming Raikkonen won the race. Though in the first stint, the rookie lost gears and suddenly was panicking about what to do. He dropped down to 18th but somehow stayed running in the race. Eventually, McLaren messed up the strategy to force a late stop for Lewis and he finished 7th.

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Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton ranking his F1 world titles from 2008 to 2020

It was a hugely emotional moment for Hamilton as he lost the title by just 1 point. While he won the title a year later at the same venue by the same margin, Lewis still may think about what could have been back then.

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Written by:

Aishwary Gaonkar

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Aishwary Gaonkar is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Having completed his postgrad, he has set out to venture into the world of Sports Journalism. He is an ardent fan of F1 and has been following the most prestigious form of motor racing for over a decade now.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai