Lewis Hamilton Wants to Live in America 'For The Weather and Lifestyle'

This morsel of information was conveyed here on Friday amid his opinions on Red Bull, the importance of pole position and the new track in Austin.

Hamilton, who has always been fond of Los Angeles, where his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger is based, went a little further here when he said: "I think one day I might move out here. I've not decided where I want to raise my kids yet.

"I'm always thinking about where I'm going to be in the future. It's not that I am getting that serious about it but it is important that I look after my future as well."

Did he mean LA? "I've not said LA. It could be the East Coast or the West Coast, to be honest. I just like it all, the States."

Hamilton has only recently moved from Switzerland to Monaco and another move, away from Europe, is out of the question while he is still in Formula One.

When somebody mentioned that David Beckham – another XIX Entertainment client – had made the move, he said: "That was his career. I'd just be moving for the weather and the lifestyle. It's nice. The cars are all big, the roads are big. It's just a nice, relaxed lifestyle."

But how would Hamilton, who loves the celebrity status of Formula One, adapt to the anonymity?

"Funnily enough, when I go running in the streets, I sometimes do get noticed," he said. "It's probably by a tourist. And the same one. Maybe my stalker.

"You'd be surprised just how many fans are out here. I must admit at least 50 people, from when I have been running, actually watch the sport."

Meanwhile, after coming second to Sebastian Vettel in Friday's second practice session, Hamilton appears to have relished the challenge of the new track in Texas.

He said: "It looks awesome. I've had a good time in the simulator and it is quite tricky to learn compared to other tracks. But it seems to be a demanding circuit to put all the sectors together, which is something that I like."

He is still doubtful about beating Red Bull this weekend, however. He added: "Red Bull will continue to be the best for at least another year. They have a strong team and Sebastian [Vettel] has been doing a good job with it.

"When he got to Red Bull, it so happened that they were the best and they have been the best for a long time.

"I was very fortunate to arrive at McLaren at the right time and we were competitive. It was just unfortunate we could not continue to do that every year. If we had, then it would be a bit of a different story."

This article was written by Paul Weaver in Austin, for guardian.co.uk on Friday 16th November 2012 22.39 Europe/London

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010

 

image: © David Wall