Lewis Hamilton opens up on his relationship with Nico Rosberg, says Serena Williams is his inspiration

Three-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has said that tennis icon Serena Williams is his inspiration. He also opened up about his relationship with Mercedes F1 teammate Nico Rosberg. The Brit is currently in Abu Dhabi for the final race of the F1 season where the duo will battle it out for the title.

"We come from similar backgrounds and have similar relationships with our parents, with her father as the lead. Growing up watching her, I have been inspired by her (Serena), she is the greatest athlete of our generation today. I am absolutely mesmerized by what she has accomplished. Every now and then, she'll give me a bit of that magic in her words", Hamilton said, as quoted by Telegraph.

Hamilton, who comes to Abu Dhabi with 355 points compared to championship leader Rosberg who has 367 points to his name, is the underdog ahead of the race. The 30-year-old recently revealed that it is unlikely that he will retain his title but also claimed that he would never give up and that anything could happen in the sport.

The 31-year-old also opened up on his relationship with Rosberg, with the duo familiar with each other since they were kids. The Brit revealed that they were good friends but drifted apart after he felt the German started focusing on himself, rather than the team.

"We obviously had a good relationship generally when we started out, when we were kids. We had a lot in common. We both love pizza, we loved eating boxes of Kellogs Frosties and doing all the crazy things and we'd go out on big motorbike tours. We did all those things. I still do every one of those but Nico has shifted in the sense that he's very solely focused in terms of looking after himself", the Brit added.