Because of his high-profile lifestyle and his adventures in the music and fashion industries, British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has likely done more to promote racing internationally. The seven-time world champion gave up his private plane because, in more recent times, he has gained more notoriety as an advocate for environmentally friendly living.
Hamilton has managed to accumulate a substantial amount of wealth over the years, to the point that he owns a home in New York with a Hudson River view, a penthouse in Monaco, and a residence in the West End of London. In addition, he has an amazing collection of cars worth millions of dollars, which includes many Mercedes, Ferraris, and Shelby Cobras.
White-painted aircraft are not Hamilton’s style.
According to the sports website Essentially Sports, Hamilton made the following statements when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the evening:
“So we travel a lot! I love cars and I love planes. So let me explain. Every time at the airport you see these really sad old white planes with the saddest stripe down at the side. I was like ‘If I get a plane, I’m gonna pimp it out!”
The Mercedes squad driver spent $29 million for a Bombardier Challenger 605 shortly after the interview. The Formula One ace kept his promise and registered it as G-LCDH after having it painted cherry red. He decided to use the registration letters to stand for Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, his complete name.
The Challenger 605 was designed by Bombardier based on the Challenger 604, and it was upgraded with a Collins Pro Line 21 system flight deck, a new tail cone, and wider windows in the cabin. With a maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and a range of 4,600 miles, the Bombardier Challenger 605 can carry up to 19 people.
The aircraft had an Isle of Man registration.
When his name surfaced in the notorious Paradise Papers in November 2017, the British Formula One star and his private plane grabbed national attention. A collection of electronic financial records on offshore investments was known as the “Paradise Papers.” Once the German tabloid Süddeutsche Zeitung obtained access to the classified material, a bag of worms was opened that revealed how some affluent people had evaded paying taxes.
Lewis Hamilton was one of those mentioned, and it was stated that he was refunded $4.4 million in Value Added Tax (VAT). Regarding the reimbursement, his attorneys clarified that everything was in order since the aircraft was registered in the Isle of Man rather than the United Kingdom.
For those who don’t know, the Isle of Man is a tax haven in the Irish Sea that is a self-governing territory of the British Crown. The lack of inheritance, company, and capital gains taxes is the main factor behind the large number of aircraft registered on the Isle of Man.
Hamilton reconsidered and altered his way of life.
In 2017, after utilizing the aircraft to go to and from races, Hamilton changed his lifestyle and adopted a plant-based diet instead of eating meat. After learning about animal abuse and the damage people do to the environment, he had second thoughts.
He didn’t simply voice his opinions; he also set an example by becoming vegan and making every effort to reduce his carbon impact. Naturally, this required him to sell his dirty Bombardier Challenger 605 aircraft. SaxonAir Charter Limited, a British private jet charter firm located in Norwich Airport (NWI), purchased the aircraft.
He still collects vintage cars, but he never drives them—rather, he prefers to travel in electrically propelled cars. These days, he flies commercially whenever possible, but in the summer, he made headlines when he rented a Cessna Citation to go to the Belgian Spa Grand Prix.
Hamilton gives more money to charity than any other athlete, despite the fact that he may have received criticism for it.
