Lewis admits Swiss tax benefits Sunday, 11, November, 2007, 14:52 Lewis Hamilton has admitted that low taxation is 'also' one of the reasons for his high-profile move to Switzerland. The 22-year-old rookie has come in for criticism following his decision to move away from Britain, but speaking on ITV's Michael Parkinson show, F1's super-rookie reiterated that the main reason for leaving the country was so that he could try and maintain a 'normal life away from the track'. "I am quite fed up with talking about Switzerland," he told Parkinson. "I am just a normal person and this is quite an unreal experience. I've gone literally from nowhere, and I have been leap-frogged into being this superstar. Its a really weird experience. "Just the other night I went to a book signing event with my dad and we drove home, got out of the car, and got ambushed by some people that followed us all the way home. "You sort of worry for a second, 'What do they want?'. And that's becoming more and more usual. "But I really want to live a normal life if I can, away from things, away from the race track, and I just feel that it is another way to do that." Hamilton also revealed the depth of the inspiration his brother's experiences have given him during his battles on the track this season. Nicholas Hamilton has cerebral palsy, and Lewis told Parkinson that the challenges his brother faces help him put into perspective his own life hurdles. "I have always said that when you have problems, when you think you have a tough life and when you think things are going bad, you just have to think about him," he said. "He has got certain problems because he is disabled. "Obviously he can't play football like I can play, he can't ride a bike like I can, he can't drive a go-kart like I can. On the other side he is very, very smart so he beats me in that area. "But nonetheless he gets up, he tries it and he attacks it one hundred percent, and if he falls he just gets back up and keeps on smiling," he continued. "I take that fact on to the race track. I have bad races, but it is never that bad, I just have got to keep my head up and keep going. "I think that is what I learn from him." END OF ITV ARTICLE I don't buy it completely. Being an F1 driver is not a "normal life". Period. He probably has found it very inconvenient living in Britain with all the publicity. My heart goes out to him. But he could live alot of places besides Switzerland. Or he could finish mid pack every race and nobody would bother him. Coulthard and Button don't seem to have his problems, do they?
He could move to the United States, and no one would bother him, since only .00001% of the population have any concept of F1.
Where F1 Drivers Should Live Wednesday 7th November 2007 Lewis Hamilton has fled the UK and is going to be living in Geneva in Switzerland from now on. And why not, it has so much to offer. 10 Great Things About Living in Switzerland * It's not Spain * You can visit Michael Schumacher's themed rodeo castle * It has the perfect nightlife for an F1 driver - i.e. none * If you're a big cuckoo clock fan, then you've landed in hog heaven * There's no motor sport allowed, hence Max is unlikely to visit. * You can buy some great pocket knives * Tabloid journalists find it too expensive * Swiss TV will help you get to sleep early * You're unlikely to be disturbed by someone flushing a toilet after 10pm as it's forbidden * It's shut on Sundays, but that doesn't matter because that's when you'll be out at grands prix Who Should Live Where in F1 Lewis Hamilton may have moved to Geneva, but this is where some of the other grand prix drivers should move to... Fernando Alonso Should live in: Tibet Because: He can find true solitude and inner peace Jenson Button Should live in: Ireland Because: There's no in-built prejudice against ginger people Heikki Kovalainen Should live in: Middle Earth Because: That's where all the other hobbits live David Coulthard Should live in: Bournemouth Because: It's a great place to retire to, and he's not far off Giancarlo Fisichella Should live in: Bahrain Because: He's naturally drawn to gravel Kimi Raikkonen Should live in: Western Scotland Because: It has the highest concentration of distilleries per head of population Robert Kubica and Sebastien Vettel Should live in: California Because: It's the home of the beautiful people Flavio Briatore Should live: Halfway up Bernie's rear passage Because: That's where he feels most at home. Eddie Jordan Should live in: Wigton in Scotland Because: Isn't it obvious...
Assuming that TV viewers of F1 races do so because they have a concept, the numbers are actually higher: The numbers fluctuate depending of the GPs between 200,000 and 600,000 viewers. That's more like 0.2%.
LOL "its not Spain". The Spanish really truly hate Hamilton, just check out any video on Youtube under Hamilton and there'll be a million Spanish people calling him a jerk.
Hair or no hair, toupee or no toupee, he's still an Idol to myself. Seeing how the little guy rose against all odds, but unfortunately had a fall that no-one really noticed nor cared about. He and Paul Stoddart should get Prodrive's grid slot. Wouldn't Max and Bernie ****e then? Andrew
The joke is on Lewis. Switzerland is like a 5*jail or an executive retirement home. So boring you contemplate spending your vacations hitch-hiking in the Anbar province.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but the little guy stiffed a lot of people and in the end stole a lot of money directly from his team, which led to its demise. The real accomplishment was to avoid jail time for fraud. They almost got him. He also screwed Stoddart royally: They were both about to receive millions from the other teams to buy their own engines (despite the fact, that Jordan already had engines for free lined up, but he lied about that to begin with), but then Jordan got too greedy until it all fell apart. Didn't matter much to him as he had his engines, but almost killed of the Minardi team without money for engines. And yes, he wears a toupee. But I got good news for you: A biography has just been released about his life. Critics called it a collection of lies.
