Saturday night in downtown Austin, Texas, and a hard rain’s a-falling. The overspray of Hurricane Patricia has made it across Mexico and slammed this weird and wonderful city hard, wreaking havoc on, arguably, Formula 1’s most popular stop of the year. The star attractions of Bernie Ecclestone’s rolling circus didn’t even get to qualify and will head back to a soaking Circuit of The Americas for another attempt the following morning.

But even at this hour, there’s still work to be done. It’s just shy of 8pm when a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV rolls into the inky black recesses of a parking lot next to an International House of Pancakes. It’s raining so hard, it’s impossible to see who’s inside the SUV, but then the lights flash and this writer is summoned over.

Off in the distance, as part of Austin’s Formula 1 Fan Fest going on that night, a stage is emblazoned with glowing green claws and occupied by a phalanx of Monster Girls as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me the Breeze” (“Well now they call me the breeze/I keep blowin’ down the road”) blasts southern boogie into the sheets of rain.

I’m trying to remember the rest of the lyrics when the SUV’s door opens and a dome light goes on inside. I climb into the back and I’m sitting next to soon-to-be-three-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and his panting bulldog, Roscoe. I shake hands with the man, turn on my recorder, and we both laugh as Roscoe sits up and takes a lick of it. Way to break the ice, dawg…

Yes, it’s ironic that the lead man in the most glamorous form of motor racing on the planet – a 30-year-old phenom who’s become every bit the jet-setting rock star, a throwback to a long-gone era of F1 – is doing an interview in an IHOP parking lot. But Lewis goes with it. In good spirits and seemingly amused with the situation, here’s what the Mercedes AMG F1 ace had to say.

Okay, Lewis. We’re in a downpour and sitting in an SUV in the parking lot of an International House of Pancakes on Rainey Street in downtown Austin, Texas. Certainly not the glitz and glamour you’d normally associate with Formula 1. America’s a different place, isn’t it?

(Laughter) It is, and it’s got great fans. It’s a great place, America. It’s the first time I’ve really been here when it’s rained at hard as it has this last couple days. But still, I’ve had a great time buzzing about. And there is good food and good energy from all the fans here. Well, I love being here in America and I love getting to see the different cities, but generally, every time I visit some new cities it’s a bit of an eye-opener to how much energy there is – particularly on a race weekend here.

There’s a lot of energy here for the Formula 1 weekend. I tend to get heavy when I come to this race because the food is so good. It’s just a really good vibe here. And with the cowboy thing. Growing up in England, when I would hear about Texas, I’d hear about the cowboy hats, everything being bigger, and all that. You have this certain image of the Wild, Wild West.

The Marlboro man image?

Yeah, you know, and you get here and it’s actually a really cool city.

How about Los Angeles? I know you’ve spent quite a bit of time in that town.

I spent a lot of time in Los Angeles and my ex-girlfriend [Nicole Scherzinger] used to live there, so that’s what introduced me to the place. Now I’ve just got a ton of friends there so I go there quite often. I’m going next week and I’m going the week after. I’ve bought cars there and have had them placed there, so I go there and spend time and I get to drive them. Great food and great energy and you’ve got the beach, so Roscoe loves being there.

What beach do you guys go to?

Not to Venice Beach, but to Santa Monica. That’s kind of my area. That’s where we get to walk out onto the pier there. I love Malibu, as well.

The United States of America and Formula 1. Does Formula 1 need America? It seems to be an age-old topic …

Uhm… I think it’s a huge market, and it’s a huge market for me personally, and for the sport … it’s such a big country and Americans are huge into sports and maybe this is one they’re missing. But I do understand how people don’t get attached to it, because there is only one race. It’s not so much a family thing where you go on a family weekend and get to see the race. It’s a long way to go for one race.

And look at this weekend, there’s been no time in the car. I think it’s hard for people here to really get attached to it. We definitely need to have more than one race here because it is such a big country and it’s such an important market for the sport. Honestly, though, I don’t personally see it catching on a huge amount. I think it will be a real slow process over many years.

You’ve certainly embraced something of a celebrity sort of lifestyle which sees you out and about all over the world. It’s all very glamorous and far away from the race track, but I think that’s good for the sport and it’s image. Would you agree?

I think wherever I go there is a story to be had and naturally they’ll all say, “Lewis Hamilton. Formula 1 World Champion.” Naturally, it draws attention to Formula 1 and to the sport. And, you know, I think it’s been a real great transition for me because to many in Formula 1, you can’t do anything but drive. It’s drive, drive, drive, drive and nothing else. You can’t show any emotion or show any personality, and that’s actually all a load of crap. You’re out to be whoever you want to be and you can still drive.

I think this last five years has been my transition. I’m here and you can’t get rid of me and nothing is going to stop me and this is who I am, so take it or leave it. It doesn’t really matter either way. And I think people are like, “Oh, we have someone we can relate to in this sport.” That’s the difference I’m seeing – at least from my fans.

Most involved in Formula 1 say that you are driving at your absolute best right now. Do you feel that way? Do you still feel like you have some stuff to learn? How do you feel with where you are at right now?

Well, I’m always learning. I don’t think there will ever be a day where I don’t stop learning. To my last day on this planet of ours, I’ll keep learning. Nelson Mandela said he was still learning at 90 years old, so I still have a lot to learn. I definitely feel like I’m driving at my best. Generally, I should be driving at my best, you know? I’ve been racing for 22 years and this is my ninth year in Formula 1 and I’ve learned a lot along the way so I hope that by now I’m just progressing and learning and using that knowledge. I’m also trying different approaches and doing some different training with timing and balance. So yeah, I get in the car and I’m in a good place.

Do you think back to your early days in racing at all? A number of other racers I know tell me that they miss the days when they were young and maybe things were a little bit more innocent. Do you ever catch yourself thinking like that?

I don’t miss those days Well, you always miss some of that stuff. I wouldn’t say that I miss and it and that I want to go back, but I do look back on those times and I cherish those moments. They are the ground foundation of who I am today and what I do today. They are all very important moments which I will never forget.

What do you still want to achieve in the sport? Are you going to stay around for a while? You’re still very young.

I don’t know. I just signed up for another three years, so I do plan to be around for a bit. I think I’m going to be around as long as I enjoy it, and I enjoy it more than ever right now.

Who is in Lewis Hamilton’s personal Hall of Fame? Who do you look up to?

Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder.

So you obviously love music.

I love music. Music is my favorite thing.

Anyone else in your Hall of Fame?

I would say Ayrton Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio, Pele, there’s lots of others. I could go on and on, I just have to think about it for a long time. (Laughter).

Post-Script:
After this interview finished up, Lewis Hamilton slipped on a rain parka, reached for an umbrella and alighted from the SUV. Walking through the rain lashed gravel and boot soaking puddles of mud and toward the Fan Fest, a slew of fans, many covered in trash bags or wearing camouflage hunting jackets, saw him and the yelling started, “LEWIS! LEWIS!” Lewis, acknowledged them, waved and smiled. Some 18 hours later at COTA, the rain having begrudgingly moved on, he’d be crowned the 2015 Formula 1 World Champion.