Lewis Hamilton joins Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Mario Balotelli by appearing on the front cover of TIME magazine as he outlines why he believes that Formula One needs to be more like the Super Bowl
Brit driver says that way the sport is run 'is not good enough' and needs an American-style revamp
LEWIS HAMILTON has joined an elite list of sportsman who've appeared on the front cover of TIME magazine - and used the opportunity to call for changes to Formula 1.
The Brit star, 31, is still reeling from losing out on the world championship to Nico Rosberg in a dramatic final race following a gruelling season.
But in an extended interview with the American publication, he outlines why he believes that the sport needs to make major changes to the way it is run.
Keep up to date with ALL the motorsport news, gossip and transfers on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
Hamilton told : “The way Formula One is run is not good enough at the moment.
“The Super Bowl, the events Americans do, the show they put on is so much, so much better.
"So if you were to mix in a little bit of that template through there, I think we’d be more inviting to the fans.”
He joins names such as David Beckham and Wayne Rooney in appearing on the front of the famous magazine.
Hamilton lost out to Rosberg despite winning a gruelling final race in Abu Dhabi - and was criticised for unsportsmanlike tactics as he slowed down near the end of the race.
But the three-time world champion doesn't agree and believes he now has 'twice the desire'.
He continued: “It’s been quite a painful couple of weeks.
“This is really a time of year when you’re turning, trying to leave the negative behind and take the positive forward. But of course, it will build. The yearning for next year will build.
“The team’s job is to provide both drivers with equal opportunity.
“And unfortunately, I didn’t have equal opportunity, because I had failures on our side of the garage. The other side didn’t. So that puts more stress on the importance of myself sucking every ounce of opportunity.
“I’m in a good head space. I have a process that I need to take into next year.
"When I lost the championship, the motivation to want to take it back next year became twofold. I now have twice the desire.”
Rosberg announced his retirement shortly after his dramatic win which