As a child, Lewis Hamilton travelled the country with his dad to go kart racing.
Every weekend was dominated by racing, with his family putting in every penny they could to help him reach the top.
Those pennies certainly paid off.
With six wins already this season, 2019 is shaping up to be his best year ever - quite an achievement when you've already won five world titles.
And as he comes home for the 2019 British Grand Prix, Lewis has told Radio 1 Newsbeat that self-belief has helped turn his dreams into reality.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Hamilton and his Mercedes have been called one of the greatest car and driver combinations ever seen
So what would a 12-year-old, squeaky-voiced, kart-racing Lewis Hamilton have said if someone had told him he'd go to the British Grand Prix more than 30 points ahead in the driver's championship, while chasing a sixth world title?
"I'd say that's a pretty cool idea! Of course, I could never have predicted those things, but I truly believed in myself so much when I was young," Lewis tells Newsbeat in the Silverstone paddock.
"Kids have this confidence and aura around them, I'd have been like, 'OK, I'm gonna do it'."
Lewis's self-confident style has not always made him the most popular.
He's controversial at times, but his huge success on the track and the way he's embraced the celebrity side of Formula 1 has also meant he's won millions of young fans.