With seven Formula 1 World Championships to his name, Lewis Hamilton already has an impressive resumé — but what if he’d had acting credits on a blockbuster film, too?

That was very nearly a reality for the incoming Ferrari star, and the fact that it didn’t happen left Hamilton “crying inside,” he has revealed.

Lewis Hamilton: Top Gun star?

Competing in Formula 1 is no simple task. With an ever-increasing schedule bringing with it ample travel demands just to attend a Grand Prix, drivers are hard-pressed to find the time to maintain a social life, let alone a side hustle.

And that’s made all the more challenging the more popular you get, which means for a man like Lewis Hamilton — with seven World Driver Championships and a new move to Scuderia Ferrari after over a decade of success with Mercedes — time should be at an even higher premium.

And yet Hamilton seems to have a near infinite amount of time available to pad his life with red carpets, fashion lines, diversity initiatives, and, apparently, even some new forays into film.

That’s the latest from a fantastic Time profile, at least. Per Hamilton, he’s experimenting with developing a few film scripts — one he claims is a comedy, and another he says centers on pets.

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But Hamilton also had a brief look into the world of acting. Racing fan Tom Cruise knew Hamilton had a keen interest in perhaps starring in a film, so he introduced the World Champion to director Joseph Kosinski. Perhaps there was a role available for the Briton in what was then just a work in progress that would go on to become Top Gun: Maverick.

Unfortunately, the filming schedule would have conflicted too greatly with Hamilton’s racing schedule, and he was forced to turn down the role.

When Cruise brought the film to London to screen it for Hamilton, the driver told Time, “I was crying a bit inside. Ah, that could have been me!”

But the idea resonated with both Hamilton and Kosinski. Not long after, the director had an idea about a Formula 1 racing movie — and one of the first people he called was Hamilton.

That film, F1, will hit theaters in late June of this year after months of filming. Hamilton served as a producer on the film, adding yet another impressive role to his CV.

Hamilton was able to introduce the filmmakers to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali — a critical step in achieving the access to tracks, cars, and personnel that should transform this movie into a must-see feature.

But will we see Hamilton making his on-screen debut any time soon? That remains to be seen — but it’ll be difficult while he’s still actively racing.

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