Lewis Hamilton ‘feeling 2020 on the heart and spirit’ due to emotional weekend after Chadwick Boseman death

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is “feeling the weight” of a challenging 2020 on his “heart and spirit” after struggling to comprehend the death of actor Chadwick Boseman.

The six-time world champion took his 89th win of his career on Sunday with victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, and dedicated the success to the memory of the late American actor, who died last Friday after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

The Mercedes driver was in an emotional mood following Saturday’s qualifying session, when he took pole position before paying tribute to the ‘Black Panther’ actor, and he displayed the Wakanda Forever symbol on both Saturday and Sunday in honour of the 43-year-old.

Hamilton spoke of how he looked up to Boseman as an inspiration, having been cast in a position that was rarely afforded to black actors as the lead character in a superhero movie. ‘Black Panther’ was heralded for its breaking the mould within Hollywood, with a predominantly black cast, a black director and black lead actor - a first for a blockbuster Marvel film.

Hamilton has been vocal this year in trying to combat racial inequality, having used his platform to support the Black Lives Matter movement following the shootings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Jacob Blake this year in the United States, and he has taken a knee before each race this season alongside a dozen other drivers.

But with 2020 already throwing up plenty of hurdles following the coronavirus pandemic and the focus on racial equality, Hamilton said that he can feel the effects of recent events on himself.

"I think that naturally we had that week off (last week), I got good training at home and arrived here feeling fairly relaxed," Hamilton said.

"And then obviously I woke up (Saturday) morning and … I mean, I've generally been feeling a lot of weight on my heart, spirit.

"You know, when you're watching the news, when you see what's happening around the world, and I feel really quite affected by it. Then obviously I was so incredibly proud when Chadwick was Black Panther because as I mentioned all the reasons yesterday, as a kid, dreaming of superheroes and to finally see someone, a superhero of a similar colour to me, (it) was really just such a remarkable moment, I think, for the black community.

"So when I woke up and I got the news from a friend who has said ‘I'm crying writing this message to you about Chad’, and then reading the news, I just broke down. I remember, just trying to pull it together and make sure I delivered on that day."

Hamilton was able to use those emotions to fuel a fifth victory over the 2020 F1 season, which has put him 47 points clear at the top of the world championship standings and on the verge of toppling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 wins, as well as putting him on course to equalling the German’s tally of seven titles.