13/05/2007
NEWS STORY
As the love affair continues to bloom, one has to wonder how the British media will react to Lewis Hamilton's admission that he is already thinking about moving out of Britain, his most likely destination being the home of so many other Formula One and sporting legends, Monaco.
Talking to Jane Nottage of The Times, the English youngster admitted that the media, and consequently, public, attention is already becoming burdensome.
"I had a bit of an idea about the attention back home as my family and friends were texting me to say there was interest," he reveals, "but I didn't really understand how much.
"When I arrived home I found the media camped outside my house and my parents' house waiting to get a picture of me," he continued. "It was unreal. I couldn't go outside. I was a prisoner in my own home.
"At the moment I like living in the UK as I'm close to my family and friends, and I'm young, so London is the best place to be," he added. "But I have no idea what it's going to be like over the next two years. If there is an escalation of interest I would have to reconsider... and also of course the tax situation can be a problem, not now but in the future."
Quite how the media will react to the news that Hamilton is already reconsidering re-locating, especially at a time when The Sun has short-listed him for its 'Greatest Living Brit 2007' award, along with fellow sportsmen Joe Calzaghe and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, remains to be seen.
Although Ron Dennis and his Lewis' family will do their best to keep his feet firmly on the ground, the British media will not take kindly should the youngster leave these shores for the 'playground of the rich and famous'. Are we about to witness the beginning of the backlash?