Lewis Hamilton thought he was going to die during surfing incident

After dozens of mach-speed collisions as a venerated F1 veteran, Lewis Hamilton revealed that it was a harrowing afternoon on his surfboard that nearly killed the Mercedes driver. Speaking on the famous "Hot Ones" podcast, Hamilton battled through an increasingly potent curation of chicken wings while detailing, among other things, his surfing foray into the 'kill zone.'

"I was with (American surfer) Kelly Slater, on pipeline, it was like 20-foot waves," Hamilton recalled. "Kelly's like, 'There's no way you're coming out there, you're crazy.' I tried to paddle in and I got sucked into the kill zone, basically. I turned around and saw this set of four waves coming and that, to me, was like, 'It's over, it's all over."

"So I threw my board, I dove down and I grabbed the reef. And I could hear this wave crash behind me. My board got ripped up and snapped in half. I came back up, obviously gasping for air, and the next one was coming so I went back down and grabbed the reef again. I did that three times and I nearly ran out of air."

Hamilton ultimately survived deadly waves and arrived back to shore safely, short of breath but with a newfound respect for professional surfers. "And after that I said, 'Massive props to these surfers,'" Hamilton recalled before a weary laugh.

In the latter half of his career, Hamilton discovered surfing to be a revitalising escape from the high-octane tempo of Forumula 1 life. Hamilton began the hobby in 2014, receiving some of his first lessons in Abu Dhabi and by 2019 the racing legend was completely obsessed.

"The amount of surfing I've been watching this year is crazy," Hamilton told pro surfer Kai Lenny "Every single day, I'm online watching surfing - anything I can get. Surfing is the best feeling ever. I'm so happy here. I can't tell you how much I love surfing. When you get up, there's just no other feeling like it."

Hamilton's harrowing 'kill zone' experience came in 2021 off the coast of Hawaii, but it hasn't deterred the British legend from continuing his passion. In 2022, he was spotted riding the iconic Malibu waves in southern California, and a year later he navigated shark-infested waters as he surfed in New South Wales ahead of the upcoming Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton belives his F1 experience has prepared him for a natural transition into surfing, noting that he's "always been comfortable when I'm close to the limit."

In an area he feels more comfortable with, Hamilton currently holds a remarkable collection of all-time F1 records, including wins (103), pole positions (104), and podium finishes (197), while sharing the record for F1 championship titles with German driver Michael Schumacher with seven apiece.