From an early age — crowned British Karting champion at a young 10 years — Lewis Hamilton attracted attention as a potential F1 champion…and did not disappoint as he grew older. Equipped with a bold, assured racing style that belied his years, Hamilton rose rapidly through the ranks, a climb which culminated in becoming the sport’s then-youngest World Champion by 2008. Signed by Ron Dennis in 1998 to the McLaren Young Driver program, Hamilton progressed quickly to single-seaters and in 2007 joined McLaren F1 after the departure of Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari and Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR.

Hamilton’s sensational rookie season, in which he lost out on the championship by a single point — after an embarrassing off into the gravel in China from pit lane — remains one of the most remarkable freshman campaigns in Formula One history. His fifth-place finish in the wet at Interlagos in 2008 to capture a 1st title, in which Hamilton passed Timo Glock (struggling on dry tires in the increasing rain) at the final corner, after Felipe Massa had already crossed the start-finish line in 1st, was impossibly dramatic and turned the 23-year-old into a global sporting icon. Last race, last lap, last corner. It also gave birth to a whole new generation of petrolheads in Britain. Going from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 when the German team was just hitting its stride made it seem all too easy. But without Hamilton’s innate talent it would have all come to naught, as Formula One is strewn with the remains of other young phenoms.

Hamilton has polarized opinion during his time in F1, starting right off in the turbulent 2007 season with McLaren, in which he and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso became bitter adversaries. Their feud, exacerbated by Alonso’s resentment of the British-based team’s apparent focus an English upstart he had presumed would be his understudy, culminated in the slighted Spaniard’s angry departure from a team already troubled by a notorious “spy scandal.” He would endure toxic, race-based abuse as the first black F1 driver from Spanish fans during preseason 2008 testing at Catalunya, the same year in which Hamilton was penalized at the Belgian GP for illegally cutting a corner to gain an advantage and pass Kimi Räikkönen and at the Japanese GP, where he was handed a drive-through penalty for forcing other cars off the track on the first lap. Off the track, Lewis relished his celebrity status, embraced pop culture, dabbled in music, became a style icon, hob-nobbed with the rich and famous. Hamilton’s fame transcended Formula One, but the high-flying, tattooed hero with diamond stud earrings never lost his driving ambition. He worked hard at self-improvement, added a thinking dimension to his hard-charging instincts, made fewer mistakes and became an unstoppable force when he jumped to Mercedes AMG in ’13 to replace the retired Michael Schumacher.

I said ‘Hello Mr. Dennis, I’m Lewis Hamilton and one day I’d like to race for your team.’ I asked him for his autograph and his phone number. He put them in my book and wrote: ‘Call me in nine years.'”

— Lewis Hamilton —

The partnership at Mercedes with Nico Rosberg — childhood karting rival and friend — was productive but equally contentious. With Mercedes stealing a march over the rest of the pack at the advent of F1’s new hybrid turbo era in 2014, Hamilton was handed an immense car capable of matching his considerable talents. A tense battle with Rosberg followed, quickly souring the relationship between the two drivers. Hamilton came off worse in a clash of wheels at the Belgian Grand Prix, but recovered with a series of inspired drives to secure the title in Abu Dhabi with his 11th win of the season. In 2015 Hamilton had the upper-hand over Rosberg from the start and cruised to a 3rd world title with three rounds remaining. A three-year contract extension starting in 2016 saw him committed to Mercedes but over the course of the season Rosberg came out on top. Hamilton was eager for a rematch, but before the end of 2016 Rosberg retired from F1 with a shock announcement ahead of the FIA’s prize giving. Paired with Valtteri Bottas in 2017, Hamilton’s main opposition came from Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari. After a tense battle throughout the year, including a spectacular pole to flag winning performance at Silverstone that began an astonishing run of five out of six consecutive GPs, Lewis emerged on top to take the 4th World Championship of his career and his 3rd with Mercedes.

Some may argue that Hamilton’s success is the product of technological and not driving superiority. Throughout the history of Formula One, those two factors have never been separated completely. That the dominant Mercedes W05 Hybrid of 2014, pictured above after the season-ending GP at Sakhir, was a fantastic machine does not belittle the scale of Hamilton’s achievements. His aggressive tactics, somewhat petulant moods and hardscrabble determination have all set Hamilton apart from peers in the F1 driving fraternity. Even Rosberg calls Lewis “the benchmark” of F1. So whatever one’s personal feelings may be, this most successful British driver of all time — whose car wears No. 44 (“Hammer Time”) in honor of baseball legend Hank Aaron — remains a force to be reckoned with in Formula One.

Other Lewis Hamilton Sites

Formula1.com Hall of Fame
Wikipedia Article
Biography by Dennis David
AutoSport—F1’s Greatest Drivers
ESPN F1 Profile
Official Hamilton site

Lewis Hamilton Video

Real Time Sports (HBO) Profile	Why Is Lewis Hamilton So Hated?	Pole Lap — Suzuka 2017