And in sport, seven is a number that has also come to take on great meaning, reaching far beyond the back of David Beckham’s soccer jersey.
In Formula 1, Michael Schumacher’s tally of seven world championships was long an impossible milestone. That was until Lewis Hamilton matched him in 2020 and set out to become the first F1 driver to win eight championships.
Another sports legend whose seven count matters is Tom Brady, statistically the best quarterback in NFL history. At 44, Brady has continued to perform at the top of football for more than two decades, winning more Super Bowls — seven — than any player or even team.
As part of the pre-race festivities in Miami, Hamilton and Brady came together for a special benefit event with a common sponsor, IWC. Both sports stars stepped out of their usual comfort zone a bit by playing at the Miami Beach Golf Club.
Hamilton admitted he hadn’t played golf in about three years, but he did put in some decent shots as he and Brady took on NFL legend Marcus Allen and Forbes Next 1,000 businessman Brandon Okpalobi in a driving-golf challenge. , of course- and chipping.
Hamilton said he and Brady are almost neighbors in New York, having met briefly at F1 races before, but not taking the time to date. Brady admitted that he hadn’t taken the time to work on his golf game in recent years, but he was lightly teased by Allen, who felt the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was quietly talking about his handicap.
“Now you see why I came out of retirement,” Brady said after one of his next drives went left into the water. “I’m back in the sport I’m good at!”
Brady retired for just 40 days. He won his seventh Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2021 before announcing in February that he was hanging up his helmet after 22 years. It was greeted with a degree of skepticism that was ultimately justified. “I have realized that my place is still on the pitch and not in the stands,” he said.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes plays Golf
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
At 44 years old, Brady is one of those rare athletes who has not only continued to enjoy a very long career, but has done so by remaining one of the most outstanding. Four of his seven Super Bowls have come since he turned 37. In the conversation about the Greatest of All Time, it’s impossible not to include Brady in the mix, since his longevity exhausts the clichés about how you can get better with age.
The same goes for his golf partner today, Hamilton. For a driver who has sometimes joked about his discomfort at being one of the oldest on the F1 grid, he has seemed to embrace the ability to be wiser, fitter, and simply become a better athlete with each passing year. what happened.
When he signed his last contract with Mercedes F1 last year, which will take him until the end of the 2023 season, it was reasonably considered that it could be his last: win eighth, overtake Schumacher, call it quits and retire.
But even through the difficult start Hamilton has faced this year, he has remained optimistic about his current state and his ability to keep racing for as long as he wants, regardless of whether he wins another title or not.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“I still feel fresh and I still feel young, even though I’m surrounded by all these youngsters here,” said Hamilton at Imola. “So I don’t think that’s going to be the deciding factor to continue or not. I plan to be here.”
The question of retirement is something that Hamilton is sure to raise as the need to talk about a new contract with Mercedes draws closer. Despite all the repercussions from Abu Dhabi last year, and the uncertainty over his possible return given the nature of his title loss, Hamilton said he never seriously considered retiring. His passion and ambition to continue competing -and winning- remains strong.
And that is what has ultimately driven Hamilton to continue racing in his 30s. He previously said he hoped he wouldn’t race until he was 40, but as he gets closer to that milestone, it would be less and less surprising if he did. As Brady discovered, being one of the best is a very difficult thing to let go of, and even when you make that decision, to fully commit to it.
Neither will forge a career in golf anytime soon, but the event that brought Hamilton and Brady together was a rare moment for the sport’s greats to come together. You have to wonder what private conversations they may have had, and whether Hamilton took Brady’s pulse to stay at the top of his game well into his fourth decade, and thus be inspired to further his F1 career.
