Lewis Hamilton plans to open a museum showcasing his Formula One trophies and race cars when he retires from racing.
Hamilton is three wins away from matching Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 grand prix victories. If he claims the title this year, he will match Schumacher’s seven world championships.
Despite his run of dominance in recent seasons, the Englishman does not display his F1 trophies publicly currently — he wants this to change once he has retired.
“At home, I only have two trophies,” Hamilton told Bild. “One from GQ magazine, which I simply put on my table when I got home after the awards ceremony, and one from [motor racing’s governing body] the FIA. That’s it.
“It’s funny, I’ve won all of these trophies and not one of them is at home. The cups from racing are all stored. And when I say they are in storage, it doesn’t mean they are in boxes in the basement. They are in a private place.
“I don’t drive for the trophies. I don’t drive for records. I drive because I love it. That’s how I am.
“Many of my friends are also athletes, and they actually all have their trophies clearly on display, but that’s not how I tick. If you came to my house, you wouldn’t see that I ever won a race.
“What I would like to do is put all of them on display in a museum. My fans support me in everything I do, so they can look at all the trophies. It might cost a pound to enter, which will then be donated to charity, so everyone would benefit from it.”
Although he is yet to sign a contract extension with Mercedes beyond this season, he has signalled his intention to stay in F1 for another three years at least. It is widely expected he will sign that deal in the next few months.
Although he stressed the museum project is one for the future, he said he has wider plans to include some of his race-winning cars there too.
When asked if his cars would be part of it, he said: “They are the most important companions on my journey. They are like rockets that go into space and then, when they come back, are exhibited in a museum.
“I associate special memories with all of my world championship cars, it’s a very personal relationship that you build up over a season. It would be great if they could be part of my museum. Starting with my karts from back then, and then perhaps in a row the evolution of all my racing cars, as they do in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.
“Plus all my racing suits, the helmets – Oh, I have so many ideas. It’s going to be a big project, I’ll have to see how I go about it.
“At the moment, however, that is not at the top of my priorities.”