Formula One: Lewis Hamilton seeks 1st win of the season, hopes for positive weekend in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Lewis Hamilton is not a conformist. He is Formula One's first and only Black driver, the paddock is his runway and he does not shy away from talking about his many passions - music, fashion and diversity - outside of racing.

Ahead of what is arguably one of the trickiest grands prix on the F1 calendar, most drivers would be mainly focused on studying the Marina Bay Street Circuit or preparing for the heat and humidity of the Republic.

But the seven-time world champion was in California last week before reaching England on Monday morning and immediately hopping on the simulator.

He was then off to Kuala Lumpur for a meet-and-greet session on Thursday before arriving in Singapore on Thursday evening.

And he is proud to be able to do things his way and show there is more to him than racing.

Despite his round-the-globe journey to Singapore, Hamilton declared that he is feeling great.

The 37-year-old said at a TeamViewer event: "I do go against the grain, I don't do what everyone expects me to do or perform how a racing driver is supposed to... (people say) they're supposed to be in bed at 10pm, F1 drivers don't have tattoos, don't have this and that."

As Hamilton and his Mercedes team seek their first win of the season, he knows the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix will be a tough race.

He said: "We've really struggled with this year's car. It's not been our best car by far. It's been very, very hard to drive. Every now and then, we'll get on the track and it doesn't feel bad. (When) we went to Zandvoort, it felt amazing. I'm really hoping that's the case this weekend, and that it's not too bumpy.

"I love this track. It's always been one of the hardest circuits and one of the longest ones. It's often quite bumpy and I often lose around 4kg in this race so it's a good weight-loss weekend.

"Otherwise, just the city is beautiful and I always have a warm welcome every time we come."

With four wins in Singapore, Hamilton is the second most successful driver behind Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel (five), who won the last edition in 2019.

The Briton knows he will not be winning a record eighth drivers' championship this season and there is a chance his streak of winning a race in every season since his debut in 2007 might be broken but he remains upbeat.

"I look at it as a bit of adversity and I think that's where you can really gain strength," Reuters quoted him as saying on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur. "I think we've gained a lot of strength in depth. When you winning all the time, it's a wonderful thing but you don't gain a lot when you win.

"(T)here are six races (left) so there's six opportunities and we will try to get a win, but if we do not do well, I do not think it is the end of the world."

Mercedes are also locked in fierce battle with Ferrari for second in the constructors' championship - they are 35 points behind the Italian team - and Hamilton said it is maximum attack for the last leg of the season.

He added: "Our goal is to try and get second for the team because that does make a huge impact for everyone back at the factory.

"So these next six races are just about maximum attack, (we have) nothing to lose and we're just going to give it hell."

Beyond that, he will be keeping up with his interests - he is learning to play the piano during what little free time he has - as he prepares for his eventual retirement, which he knows is coming sooner rather than later.

He is also looking at other business opportunities while finding things he is passionate about. He recently became part-owner of the National Football League's Denver Broncos and is a producer for an upcoming F1 film starring Brad Pitt - the reason he was in Hollywood.

He said: "I can't race forever. While I still feel young and I can go on for quite a bit longer, there's going to be an afterlife.

"I've spoken to amazing athletes over time who are in competition, toward the end of their careers and those who have retired. Many said they stopped too early or too late so I'm trying to judge for myself.

"But when you're so focused on being the best, you usually lack the time to do other things and the whole world comes to a stop for an athlete when they retire.

"So I'm trying to put these things in place so that after that, it'll be an easy transition for me. I've been doing this since I was eight so it's a huge hole to fill."