While in China for the Chinese Grand Prix, legendary Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton sat down for an interview with W Magazine, discussing some of the challenges in his racing career.

Hamilton has had one of the most successful careers in Formula 1, capturing six world titles with Mercedes and McLaren, while also being the only Black driver in the sport’s history.

Lewis’s time in China has been a mixed bag, filled with tremendous and devastating moments, none more so than the 2007 Chinese GP.

“Yeah, well, I mean, I’ve generally had good and bad memories here. More good ones. And I think the first year I came, I lost the world championship pretty much at this race. But the track has always been something I’ve enjoyed driving,” he said in the interview.

Hamilton managed to secure pole position, and the race began under wet conditions, with all the drivers on the intermediate tire.

His McLaren car experienced significant tire wear as the track dried, yet the team kept him out to stick to their original strategy. This decision degraded the tires, leaving him stranded in the gravel near the pit lane after losing control of the car.

The car could not get back on track, meaning Hamilton could not finish the race and could not close out the Drivers’ Championship at that race.

In the interview, Lewis described the pain from the result.

“I didn’t leave my hotel room for two days, and it took me a long time to really, I think it was three days actually, but it took me a long time to bounce back from the feeling that I was having,” he said during the interview.

“And I couldn’t understand the pain that I was feeling or where it’s coming from. And of course, I knew it was coming from an event that I just had, but I couldn’t control it, and I didn’t have the tools.”

Hamilton would finish runner-up in 2007, a brutal outcome considering how close he was to winning the title, only losing out by a point to Kimi Raikkonnen.

The devastating result led to growth and maturity for the young Hamilton, leading to understand of how to move on from disappointment.

“And I think it’s really about, as you go through life, it’s about finding those tools to help aid you through those difficult times, but also be open to accepting that it’s okay, how you’re feeling, it’s natural. And what’s important to always remember is something I’ve started to put into my life is that there’s no point dwelling or worrying about what happened behind us,” he said.

“It’s done. But you can do so much to be better moving forwards. You can do so much to prepare better, to make sure you arrive at work and affect all the people you’re working with in a more positive way.”