TATTOO LEWIS HAMILTON F1 PHOTO

He claims his talents as a racing driver come directly from God.

And for Lewis Hamilton, it seems the best way of giving thanks for his good luck was to have a giant cross tattooed on his back.

The
Formula One star showed off the eye-catching artwork on a beach holiday
in Malibu with his girlfriend, singer Nicole Scherzinger.

Racing driver Lewis lapping up the sun with his girlfriend Nicole Sherzinger

Mr Hamilton, a Christian and regular
churchgoer, also has the image of an angel etched into his right forearm
and a picture of Mary and Jesus on his upper arm.

Above the cross on his back are the words ‘Still I Rise’.

The
phrase is the title of a celebrated poem by African-American poet Maya
Angelou. However, Mr Hamilton may be more familiar with a rap song of
the same name by his favourite musician Tupac Shakur.

The racing driver has a cross on his back, echoing the one he wears round his neck, and the words 'Still I Rise' on his back

Lewis Hamilton has three tattoos on his arm. One
of Mary and Jesus on his shoulder, one of a heart and cross on his
elbow and another of an angel on his forearm

Tupac’s song Keep Ya Head Up
was inspired by Angelou’s poem. A posthumous album of his rap songs was
called Still I Rise when it was released in 1999, three years after his
death.

The song’s message
of individual resilience over difficult circumstances no doubt appealed
to Mr Hamilton, who has struggled with his form since becoming the
youngest ever Formula One world champion in 2008.

Following a series of crashes in
2011, Mr Hamilton quoted the phrase in a press conference. He said:
‘Obviously I’d like to be winning and doing a better job. Am I in the
best place in my life? No, there’s been a lot of negative stories.

‘But what’s most important is still I rise. I’m here, fighting again.’

Mr
Hamilton - who has been dating X Factor judge Miss Scherzinger since
2008 - describes himself as a ‘true believer’ and believes that his
Christian faith has helped him achieve success on the track.

In
2007, he said: ‘I really believe that my talent is God-given. I know
I’m truly blessed. But I’ve also worked hard to get to where I am - and
becoming world champion will make me work even harder.’ 

The racing star has been collecting tattoos for several years, but recently admitted his father Anthony disapproves of them.

He
said: ‘My dad doesn’t approve of the tattoos but I don’t need approval I
am comfortable with who I am, I don’t need someone telling me. If
someone doesn’t accept me for who I am, that is their problem. You need
to be proud of who you are.’ 

He
added: ‘I haven’t just started to do it. I’ve been doing it for some
time. I grew up around them and always wanted to get them.’ 

The champion racing driver had previously credited God for giving him his talents and successes