Oliver White
Quite unbelievably, Lewis Hamilton is going to have a street named after him in his home town of Stevenage. The Borough Council have decided that Lewis is a role model and someone to look up to. His record-breaking debut year in Formula One has, according to the Council, put Stevenage on the map. The street will be positioned in a new city-centre development, although it is still unknown if Hamilton will purchase a property on the street.
The success of Lewis has given everyone in Stevenage a real boost. Everyone in the town is enormously proud of the fact that Lewis comes from Stevenage. In particular, our young people see him as a role model and his achievements have definitely raised their aspiration levels. He has really helped to put the town on the map.
Councilor Sharon Taylor.
Also available to walk down are:
And actually named after British drivers:
- Mike Hawthorn Drive (Mike lived in Farnham prior to his death in 1959)
- Jim Clark Drive (Jim came from The Scottish Borders)
- Graham Hill
- Stewart Drive
- Coulthard Close
And I’m not going to name any more around the Silverstone circuit. Needless to say, there’s a fair few Laudas, Surtees, Campbells and Sennas.
Update: And 24 hours later, Lewis Hamilton decides to move away from the UK and instead live in Switzerland. Following Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, the McLaren driver will up sticks and live in relative peace in the home of watches and chocolate.
Until recently, Motorsport was banned in Switzerland and many drivers saved a lot of money declaring themselves unemployed as ‘Racing Driver’ wasn’t an option the form. Although the ban has been (or is in the process of being) lifted, I’m sure the decision wasn’t necessarily about money and more to do with the quality of life for Hamilton, which will surely improve. Via BBC.
Ever been to Stevenage? 😉
I wonder if they will take a lead from his local Asda and reserve all the parking in the street for the man himself?
I like that area of Towcester which includes Coulthard Close, they couldn’t squeeze in any more F1 references if they tried!
Come on Ollie, my comment wasn’t that bad 😛
I think this is a typical example of British anti-Alonso bias. Where are the Fernando Freeways, the Alonso Alleys, the Ovieto Outer Rings? And why stop there? We could have Heikki Hiker’s Path, Raikkonen Road, Massa Mall and Liuzzi Lane. The possibilities are endless, especially as history beckons with its unsung heroes of the past. Perhaps we should draw the line at Button Boulevard, however…
Sorry Mary-Ann, I was away from a computer for most of the day and had no idea your comment went to moderation. I’ve added you to the whitelist which should prevent any more moderation occurrences.
I’ve been through (or around) Stevenage, but I don’t remember stopping. All UK city centres tend to look alike these days anyway.
@Craig: That Asda story was just silly.
Did you know that there already is a Button Street? It was in Frome. It should be said in mitigation the road was named before the bloke with that surname from there reached Formula 1…
@Ali: All I can think about now is Button Moon.
I remember watching the last series of that when I was little, Ollie!
This kid has done some amazing things. Not everyone has a street named after them.