Lewis Hamilton, one of the most successful Formula One (F1) Grand Prix drivers of all time, was born in Stevenage, England, on January 7, 1985. In terms of career race wins, he holds the F1 record, while he and Michael Schumacher are tied for the most driver titles (seven). He was the first Black driver to win the World Drivers' Championship in Formula One (2008).
From GP2 to karting championships
About 30 miles (48 km) north of London, in the English town of Stevenage, is where Hamilton was born. At eight years old, he started his racing career. At the age of ten, he took home the British Kart Championship. Three years later, Hamilton signed up for the Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Young Driver Support Program, where he received the encouragement and resources he required to hone his abilities. He won global and European karting championships from 1998 to 2000, and at the age of 15, he became the youngest driver to hold the top spot in the sport.
After moving on to car racing, Hamilton won 10 of the 15 races he competed to win the British Formula Renault race series title in 2003. He participated in the Formula Three Euroseries championship the next year. In addition to winning the championship in 2005, he also joined a team in 2006 to compete in the GP2 (Grand Prix 2) racing series, which helps drivers get ready for Formula One. In his only season there, he won the GP2 title.
Formula One title with McLaren
2007 saw Hamilton join the McLaren Formula One team. In his debut season, he trailed the world drivers' championship winner, Kimi Räikkönen, by just one point. His four race wins that year equaled the Formula One record held by Jacques Villeneuve for most victories in a rookie year.
At the age of twenty-three, Hamilton won five races in 2008 to win the drivers' title. Felipe Massa trailed him by barely one point at the conclusion. Until Sebastian Vettel's debut victory in 2010, Hamilton was the youngest driver to win the drivers' championship.
Hamilton remained one of the best drivers in the Formula One world, winning two races in 2009, three in 2010, three in 2011, and four in 2012. In his later seasons with McLaren, Hamilton won two more races. Hamilton made the decision to join the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team in September 2012, leaving McLaren. Hamilton only won one race in his debut season with Mercedes in 2013, but he still managed to accumulate enough points to place in the top five of the drivers' championship standings for seven straight seasons.
Dominance at Mercedes
In order to win his second drivers' title, Hamilton won a career-high 11 races during the 2014 Formula One season. One month before the season finished in 2015, he won his third drivers' championship, demonstrating his continued dominance. Mercedes won the F1 constructor's title in both seasons thanks to the efforts of teammate Nico Rosberg and Hamilton.
2016 saw Mercedes and Rosberg win their respective championships, with Hamilton coming in second place behind his colleague in the drivers' standings. Hamilton won nine races the next year, which helped him win his fourth drivers' title. In 2018, he achieved yet another drivers' championship, matching Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-highest total in Formula One history with five career titles.
2019 saw Hamilton win his sixth drivers' championship, behind only Michael Schumacher by one title. With his seventh title in 2020, Hamilton not only surpassed Schumacher's record of 91 F1 race victories overall, but also equaled it.
Hamilton Commission
2020 saw the start of a commission by Hamilton and the Royal Academy of Engineering to determine the obstacles Black people encounter in the British motorsport sector. In 2021, the so-called Hamilton Commission published a report outlining its suggestions for promoting more diversity in motorsport and increasing inclusivity in the engineering profession. To achieve these aims, Hamilton also established the Mission 44 foundation. He voiced his dissatisfaction at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, saying, "We just did a team photo and I still look and I'm like, 'Damn, we still have so much work to do.'"
A Mercedes decline, controversy in 2021, and a switch to Ferrari
Max Verstappen and Hamilton competed for the drivers' title in 2021, but the outcome was left up to the season's last grand prix. Due to a contentious ruling by race officials, Verstappen prevailed in both the race and the championship. Rejected from an unprecedented seventh drivers' title, Hamilton admitted a few years later that he had thought about retirement.
2022 was the first season in which Hamilton did not win a race in his Formula One career, despite finishing on nine podiums. His worst-ever finish in the drivers' championship was sixth. Despite not winning a race in 2023, he recovered to be third in the drivers' standings. Mercedes struggled to adjust to the new regulations over this two-year span, and Hamilton's colleague George Russell won the team's lone race.
Rumors about Hamilton quitting Mercedes for the 2023 season persisted, but in August of the same year, he inked a two-year contract extension. But Hamilton said in February 2024 that he will use his contract's departure option to quit Mercedes after the 2024 season and race for Ferrari in 2025. In July 2024, he won the British Grand Prix, marking his 104th career victory and his first race win since 2021.
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Tove Svendson 
Lewis Hamilton, one of the most successful Formula One (F1) Grand Prix drivers of all time, was born in Stevenage, England, on January 7, 1985. In terms of career race wins, he holds the F1 record, while he and Michael Schumacher are tied for the most driver titles (seven). He was the first Black driver to win the World Drivers' Championship in Formula One (2008).
From GP2 to karting championships
About 30 miles (48 km) north of London, in the English town of Stevenage, is where Hamilton was born. At eight years old, he started his racing career. At the age of ten, he took home the British Kart Championship. Three years later, Hamilton signed up for the Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Young Driver Support Program, where he received the encouragement and resources he required to hone his abilities. He won global and European karting championships from 1998 to 2000, and at the age of 15, he became the youngest driver to hold the top spot in the sport.
After moving on to car racing, Hamilton won 10 of the 15 races he competed to win the British Formula Renault race series title in 2003. He participated in the Formula Three Euroseries championship the next year. In addition to winning the championship in 2005, he also joined a team in 2006 to compete in the GP2 (Grand Prix 2) racing series, which helps drivers get ready for Formula One. In his only season there, he won the GP2 title.
Formula One title with McLaren
2007 saw Hamilton join the McLaren Formula One team. In his debut season, he trailed the world drivers' championship winner, Kimi Räikkönen, by just one point. His four race wins that year equaled the Formula One record held by Jacques Villeneuve for most victories in a rookie year.
At the age of twenty-three, Hamilton won five races in 2008 to win the drivers' title. Felipe Massa trailed him by barely one point at the conclusion. Until Sebastian Vettel's debut victory in 2010, Hamilton was the youngest driver to win the drivers' championship.
Hamilton remained one of the best drivers in the Formula One world, winning two races in 2009, three in 2010, three in 2011, and four in 2012. In his later seasons with McLaren, Hamilton won two more races. Hamilton made the decision to join the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team in September 2012, leaving McLaren. Hamilton only won one race in his debut season with Mercedes in 2013, but he still managed to accumulate enough points to place in the top five of the drivers' championship standings for seven straight seasons.
Dominance at Mercedes
In order to win his second drivers' title, Hamilton won a career-high 11 races during the 2014 Formula One season. One month before the season finished in 2015, he won his third drivers' championship, demonstrating his continued dominance. Mercedes won the F1 constructor's title in both seasons thanks to the efforts of teammate Nico Rosberg and Hamilton.
2016 saw Mercedes and Rosberg win their respective championships, with Hamilton coming in second place behind his colleague in the drivers' standings. Hamilton won nine races the next year, which helped him win his fourth drivers' title. In 2018, he achieved yet another drivers' championship, matching Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-highest total in Formula One history with five career titles.
2019 saw Hamilton win his sixth drivers' championship, behind only Michael Schumacher by one title. With his seventh title in 2020, Hamilton not only surpassed Schumacher's record of 91 F1 race victories overall, but also equaled it.
Hamilton Commission
2020 saw the start of a commission by Hamilton and the Royal Academy of Engineering to determine the obstacles Black people encounter in the British motorsport sector. In 2021, the so-called Hamilton Commission published a report outlining its suggestions for promoting more diversity in motorsport and increasing inclusivity in the engineering profession. To achieve these aims, Hamilton also established the Mission 44 foundation. He voiced his dissatisfaction at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, saying, "We just did a team photo and I still look and I'm like, 'Damn, we still have so much work to do.'"
A Mercedes decline, controversy in 2021, and a switch to Ferrari
Max Verstappen and Hamilton competed for the drivers' title in 2021, but the outcome was left up to the season's last grand prix. Due to a contentious ruling by race officials, Verstappen prevailed in both the race and the championship. Rejected from an unprecedented seventh drivers' title, Hamilton admitted a few years later that he had thought about retirement.
2022 was the first season in which Hamilton did not win a race in his Formula One career, despite finishing on nine podiums. His worst-ever finish in the drivers' championship was sixth. Despite not winning a race in 2023, he recovered to be third in the drivers' standings. Mercedes struggled to adjust to the new regulations over this two-year span, and Hamilton's colleague George Russell won the team's lone race.
Rumors about Hamilton quitting Mercedes for the 2023 season persisted, but in August of the same year, he inked a two-year contract extension. But Hamilton said in February 2024 that he will use his contract's departure option to quit Mercedes after the 2024 season and race for Ferrari in 2025. In July 2024, he won the British Grand Prix, marking his 104th career victory and his first race win since 2021.
Read Also : What is the self-management model of chronic pain management?