Life as a tax exile in Switzerland has lost its lustre and Hamilton pines for the close-knit family he left behind when he chose to live in a plush apartment on the shores of Lake Geneva to save some of his massive new fortune.
It was here last year that Hamilton learnt the hard facts of Formula One life, denied a maiden victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, the most famous race of all, when his McLaren Mercedes team told him not to try to beat Fernando Alonso, his team-mate at the time.
At that time he was the learner Formula One driver and No2 to Alonso. But it all seemed to come so easily as Hamilton almost landed the World Championship title in his first season. This year, the 23-year-old is the No1 McLaren driver, the man who carries all the expectations, and the superstar with the Miss World contestant for a girlfriend and a home 1,000 miles from where he wants to be.
As he surveyed the Monte Carlo harbour, bathed in warm sunshine, the white yachts lined up to receive their multimillionaire owners for the weekend, Hamilton expressed his love for a unique grand prix.
“Monaco is a nice place on a grand prix weekend,” Hamilton said. “It’s no less boring here than it is in Geneva. I miss my friends being around. I miss coming home and having home cooking, my mum cooking for me, doing my washing and all that stuff. Catching up with friends, going out, going to London and out to restaurants. I don’t do that anywhere near as much as I did because there is hardly anyone in Geneva I really know. But being at home is great.”
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