Hamilton joins past and present F1 stars in Switzerland

GENEVA: Formula One star Lewis Hamilton (pic) is moving to Geneva, his Swiss lawyer said on Friday, just days after the 22-year-old revealed that he was leaving Britain.

Hamilton has obtained a local resident's permit, lawyer Xavier Oberson said, confirming recent reports in the Swiss press that place the British firebrand near a brace of motor racing stars, including his arch-rival Fernando Alonso.

The daily Le Matin reported that the McLaren driver had signed the contract on a flat in Vesenaz, a luxury Geneva suburb close to the lake and near residences owned by the Ojjeh family, who are associates in the racing team.

Hamilton told the BBC on Monday that he had decided to live in Switzerland because he was fed up with constant intrusion into his private life in Britain, where he shot to celebrity status within the past year.

He just missed out on being the youngest driver to claim the world championship after finishing second behind Kimi Raikkonen and claimed several firsts in his rookie season in Formula One.

Oberson declined to comment on Hamilton's exact whereabouts, but said that the youngster preferred a city to a more peaceful village.

“Lewis already knows lots of people in Geneva and the area, and even though he's an extremely conscientious professional who trains intensely, he likes to go out and have fun,” Oberson told Le Matin.

Ironically, Hamilton is following in the steps of his former McLaren team-mate, Alonso, who moved to the other side of Lake Geneva, about 40km away by car, exactly a year ago.

Alonso, the 2006 Formula One champion, quit McLaren on Friday after a stormy relationship with Hamilton.

The western Lake Geneva region has a magnetic attraction for motor racing champions dating back to Formula One legend Jackie Stewart.

Switzerland's highly favourable tax regime for the wealthy and the peaceful setting near Lake Geneva has drawn seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi and 2006 world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.

Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld, however, have opted for the other side of Switzerland, while Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone regularly holds court in Gstaad. – AFP