LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed the meaning behind some of the elaborate tattoos covering his body.
The British Formula One star posted a video done for GQ on his Instagram account, and he is clearly proud of his unique art.
First up the 33-year-old discusses the giant cross on his back – and who inspired him to get it.
He says: “I got a big cross on my back, I mean, the idea originally came from Tupac who was my favourite rapper.
“And I wanted to put angel wings around it. And then at the top it says, ‘Still I rise’.
“It took like, I think 10 hours or something like that, just in one go, straightaway.
“And since then I’ve loved my back.”
Tattoo fans often say once they get their first inking, it starts a chain reaction for more. And the two-time world champ agrees.
TOP TORSO Hamilton shows off his body art in revealing selfies
He adds: “Once you kinda get your first one, you kind of move on to, kind of, what next can I get?
“What else can I kind of connect with. What else resonates with me?”
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Hamilton moves on to talk about the compass that is marked onto his chest – and it’s got a religious reasoning behind it.
He says: “I’ll leave church on a Sunday thinking, wow I’ve really gained my direction where to go.
“So church is really my compass, so that’s why I got the compass.”
He has the words “family” and “faith” on his shoulders because as he is “very, very close to my family.”
Then he moves on to talk about what seems like his favourite marking of them all – the lion on his shoulder and chest.
He adds: “Lions are just the most incredible creatures I think, they’re just ferocious, aggressive, there’s a passion, they are leaders of the herd.
“They are the king of the jungle. I feel like I’m a lion at heart.”
It was a remarkable 2017 for the Brit, who saw off Sebastian Vettel to write himself in the F1 history books.
He currently tops this season’s driver standings after five races on 95 points, 17 points ahead of fierce rival Sebastian Vettel.
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