LEWIS

HAMILTON

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born into a mixed-

race family on 7 January 1985, in Stevenage, a quiet
English town north of London. His father Anthony,
whose parents immigrated from Grenada in the West
Indies in the 1950's, and his mother Carmen divorced
when Lewis was about two years old. He lived with
Carmen until he was 10 then moved in with Anthony, his
wife Linda and their three-year-old son Nicolas.
Remaining close to his mother, Lewis also formed a
strong bond with his stepmother and credits them both
with contributing to the caring, considerate side of his
nature. He finds the cheerful bravery of his stepbrother,
who suffers from cerebral palsy, inspirational. "I only
have to think of Nic to feel motivated and put a smile on
my face." His steely ambition and iron resolve come
from the head of the family. "Even though he always
told me to be courteous and polite, my focus and
determination comes from, and has always been driven
by, my dad."
Anthony Hamilton, his mentor and manager, worked day
and night for years (at one time he held three different
jobs) to further his son's racing career, which effectively
began when eight-year-old Lewis was given a well-used
go-kart that cost nearly as much as the family's modest
monthly income. Soon the Hamiltons - Anthony, Linda,
Nic and Lewis - were a fixture at karting events and the
boy racer, wearing the familiar yellow helmet chosen by
an anxious Anthony to better keep track of his speedy
progress in crowded kart fields, began winning races
and championships.
In 1995, a 10-year-old kart champion, wearing a
borrowed suit and shoes, picked up two trophies at a
motorsport awards ceremony in London. Brandishing an
autograph book prepared by his father, he approached
Ron Dennis, boss of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One
team. "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 also wrote 'Call me in nine years.'"

The call was made just three years later and it was the
Hamilton household's telephone that rang. It was Ron
Dennis who presented Anthony with an offer to
financially support his son's career for the forseeable
future, with the proviso that Lewis should keep working
hard at school. Lewis: "I just went upstairs to my room
and got on with my homework. It was so unbelievable. I
struggled to take it in."
While the family's financial struggle was over it put
extra pressure on McLaren's teenage protege to meet
ever higher expectations. As well as having to respond
to envious critics who claimed he should be winning all
the time, given his funding, it was imperative that Lewis
continually prove himself worthy of his benefactor's
investment. The need to achieve undoubtedly
accelerated his progress through motorsport's ranks.
After winning eight championships in six years of kart
racing, he went on to win three major single seater
titles, the most prestigious of which was the GP2
championship, where in 2006 he took five victories from
21 starts. But it was the young British charger's several
spirited comeback performances, from the back of the
pack to the podium, that particularly prompted McLaren
to promote him to the Formula One team.
Certainly, he was well prepared, though no one was
prepared for the astonishing ease with which the
precocious youngster stormed through the 2007 season.
Consistently out-performing his celebrated team mate
Fernando Alonso (who had won the first of his two
driving titles, with Renault, when he was just 24), Lewis
Hamilton barged onto the podium a dozen times, won
four races, led the championship for five months and
lost it by merely a single point in the final race to
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Their new recruit's dazzling debut was the only bright
spot in a turbulent year for McLaren, whose two drivers
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.' Found guilty of
possessing Ferrari technical secrets, McLaren was fined
$100 million and stripped of all its points in a
Constructors' Championship it would otherwise have
won.
On assuming the role of team leader in 2008 (when
Alonso returned to Renault) the boy wonder became
even more of a marked man. En route to carving out five
victories and scything his way to the podium on six
other occasions, he incurred the wrath of several
overtaken rivals who accused him of arrogance and
dangerous driving. Hamilton insisted his hard-earned
self-belief was wrongly interpreted and that his driving
was firm but fair. But it wasn't without flaw and a
combination of miscues and mishaps meant the
championship was far from a foregone conclusion prior
to the final Grand Prix, in Brazil. There, if Hamilton
failed to finish at least fifth, Ferrari's Felipe Massa could
take the title by winning his home race.
The grand finale, on a serpentine Interlagos circuit
made more treacherous by rain, produced arguably the
most thrilling climax in the annals of any sport. Local
hero Massa mastered the chaotic conditions perfectly,
crossing the finish line first and scoring the points
necessary to become champion - which he was for the
38.907 seconds that passed before his title rival took
the chequered flag in the fifth place he needed to finish
on top of the world. With this final flourish, having
overtaken another car with about 300 meters to go,
Lewis Hamilton, aged 23 years and 300 days, became
the youngest World Champion.
"Shoot!", he exclaimed while celebrating tearfully with
his nearest and dearest, among them his glamorous pop
singer girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. "I'm ecstatic, very
emotional, very thankful for my family, my team and
everyone who has supported me in this fairy-tale story."
In the following seasons, though he continued to be one
of the most aggressive drivers and a race winner,
Hamilton failed to regain his championship form. His
McLaren was not always a world-beater but in 2011
Hamilton blamed distractions in his private life (mainly
a breakup with his girlfriend) for a loss of focus that he
vowed to regain. In 2012, with his private life running
smoothly, he drove hard and well and finished fourth in
the standings with four wins. Before that campaign was
over he announced he was leaving McLaren, the team
that had been so much a part of his racing life for so
long, and would in 2013 replace the retiring Michael
Schumacher at Mercedes. In his new environment he
was a regular frontrunner, securing several poles and
podiums (including a race win) and finished a
respectable fourth in the 2013 championship.
In 2014, when major regulation changes featured new
hybrid power units in chassis with reduced downforce,
Mercedes dominated the season, winning 16 of the 19
races and easily securing the Constructors’
Championship. Mercedes’ policy of letting its drivers
race each other enabled team mates Lewis Hamilton
and Nico Rosberg to engage in an enthralling season-
long duel for the driving title. Adding extra human
interest to the drama was the fact that Hamilton
(champion in 2008) and Rosberg (whose father Keke
was champion in 1982) had been friends and rivals since
their karting days as teenagers. Now, as 29-year-old
protagonists competing for honours at the pinnacle of
motorsport, the intensity of their rivalry strained their
friendship and tested their strength of character.
The championship, with Hamilton leading in points and
Rosberg still in contention, was finally settled in the last
race of the season, at Abu Dhabi, where double points
were awarded, though the race winner and new
champion didn’t need them. Rosberg, who started from
pole (and won the inaugural Pole Position trophy) but
finished out of the points with a car problem, was
gracious in defeat, acknowledging that his team mate’s
tally of 11 wins to Rosberg’s five meant Hamilton
deserved to be the 2014 champion.
Clinching his second driving title (as well as becoming
the most successful British Formula One driver, with 33
victories) was an emotional occasion for Lewis
Hamilton, whose family and girlfriend shared his tearful
triumph at Abu Dhabi. Struggling to put his feelings into
words, he summed it up succinctly: “This is the greatest
day of my life.”
Days of greatness were far from over for a driver yet to
reach the peak of his powers. Off the track he relished
his celebrity status, embraced pop culture, dabbled in
music, became a style icon, hob-nobbed with the rich
and famous.
His fame transcended his sport but the high-flying,
tattooed hero with diamond ear studs never lost his
driving ambition, his hunger to win. He worked hard at
self-improvement, added a thinking dimension to his
hard-charging instincts, made fewer mistakes and
became an unstoppable force in 2015.
He dominated the season, making full use of his
Mercedes F1 Team's car advantage and capping it off
with a triple crown triumph secured via a storming
victory in the 16th of the 19 races - an action-packed,
drama-filled United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas.
On a wet to drying track wheel-to-wheel battles raged
throughout the field, beginning with Hamilton pushing
aside his polesitting Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg
on the opening lap. Many driving errors were made but
Hamilton never put a wheel wrong in winning his 10th
race of the year - an historic 43rd career victory that
vaulted him into third place in the all-time winners list
behind Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost.
His third world championship - matching the tally of his
boyhood hero Ayrton Senna - confirmed that Lewis
Hamilton had joined the ranks of the sport's greatest
drivers.
The three-time champion lost none of his natural speed
(he had the most poles and wins) yet lost the 2016
championship (by five points) to his hard-trying
Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg. Their huge car
advantage and the team’s policy of letting them fight
freely led to a sometimes acrimonious title battle.
Hamilton had more mechanical problems and made
some driving errors that suggested a wavering focus
caused by his continuing pursuit of a celebrity lifestyle.
He denied this, saying “I probably drove with more
heart his year. It took a lot more heart and courage to
face the challenges”.
Lewis Hamilton’s fourth Drivers’ Championship earned
him a place among the top five most successful drivers
of all time. He equalled the number of titles won by
both Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Only Juan Manuel
Fangio’s five championships and Michael Schumacher’s
record of seven rank higher than the 32-year-old
Englishman who in his 11th season came to be regarded
as the best driver of his era.
His 2017 title triumph was the product of Hamilton
raising his game and performing at a consistently
higher level. He demonstrated superior speed (with 11
pole positions he extended his career total to 72, a F1
record), unerring precision (his only notable crash came
during qualifying at Interlagos), relentless aggression
(pushing himself with a deep-seated self-belief that he
was unbeatable), exemplary racecraft (remaining
steadfastly composed and controlled under pressure)
and remarkable efficiency (he scored points in all 20
races, winning nine of them and finishing on the podium
13 times). Moreover, his tremendous pace and stylish
verve behind the wheel were exciting for the sport.
It helped that the Mercedes F1 WO8 was generally the
best car, and the well-managed team again functioning
like a well-oiled machine won the Constructors’
Championship for the fourth season in succession.
Hamilton and his easy-going new team mate Valtteri
Bottas, replacing the retired reigning champion Nico
Rosberg, were allowed to compete with each other. His
defeat by Rosberg in their acrimonious 2016 battle
bolstered Hamilton’s resolve to re-establish his
superiority, which he did convincingly. Bottas won three
races and finished third in the standings. That their
relationship remained harmonious was a further
example of Hamilton’s newfound serenity and
contentment.
He derived satisfaction from his racing accomplishments
and took obvious pleasure in embracing a colourful
celebrity lifestyle that made him an even more popular
personality. He cultivated a high profile presence on
social media, remaining humble and profusely thanking
his fans for supporting and inspiring him. His multitude
of followers left little doubt that Lewis Hamilton’s fame
exceeded that of any other F1 driver. Beyond that, as
his former team mate and rival Nico Rosberg observed,
“Lewis is one of the best of all time.”
His magisterial performance in 2018 elevated Lewis
Hamilton to the highest echelons of the pinnacle of
motorsport. His fifth World Championship equalled the
decades old milestone established by the legendary
Juan Manuel Fangio. At the age of 33, Hamilton’s
records to date – 73 wins, 83 poles and 134 podiums in
229 Grands Prix – left him well-placed to pursue the
seven driving title achievement of the great Michael
Schumacher.
Hamilton’s superlative season - his 11 wins, 11 poles
and 17 podiums in the 21-races – not only led Mercedes
to a fifth consecutive Constructors’ Championship (his
winless team mate Valtteri Bottas finished fifth among
the drivers) but firmly confirmed his status as the team
leader. Against stronger opposition from Ferrari (6
wins) and Red Bull (4 wins) Hamilton led by example,
setting a scorching pace on the track and taking it upon
himself to motivate the Mercedes personnel to even
greater effort. They found his tremendous inner drive
inspirational. His continual expressions of gratitude
strengthened team spirit.
Mercedes got better and better as the season went on,
following Hamilton, who overpowered Ferrari’s
dispirited Sebastian Vettel to take the driving title with
two races to go, then scored victories in the final two
events to vanquish Ferrari and seal the team
championship for Mercedes.
His outstanding season, the product of greater
understanding of the value of teamwork as well as his
focus on continual self-improvement, was especially
satisfying for Lewis Hamilton. “This is the highest point
of my career,“ he acknowledged, “in terms of my
performance and how I perform with the team.”
His winning ways endeared him to yet more fans. He
never failed to thank them for their support and kept
his multitude of social media followers informed about
his busy off-track life that now included designing a new
line of high fashion clothing and news that his pet
bulldog Roscoe earned $700 a day as a model.
In the 13th year of his F1 career Lewis Hamilton secured
his sixth world championship (one less than Michael
Schumacher’s record seven), thus confirming his status
as not only the driver of the decade but convincingly
securing his place among the select few considered to
be the greatest of all time.
The 2019 driving title (his fifth in six years) was hard
earned in a field that featured several ambitious
youngsters intent on dethroning the 34-year-old
superstar. While his Mercedes team secured a sixth
consecutive Constructors’ Championship their car,
though still the class of the field, was less dominant
than before.
During the 21-race season Ferrari and Red Bull each
won three races but were undermined by uneven
performances. Mercedes, superbly organised and
cohesive with a strong team spirit united in a common
cause, tallied 15 victories. Lewis Hamilton led the
charge, outscoring his improving team mate Valtteri
Bottas 11 victories to four and leading the league in
terms of consistently delivering points. He was the only
driver to score in every race, finishing on the podium in
all but four events.
Hamilton’s impressive efficiency combined with his
habitual hard charging confirmed his superiority behind
the wheel. He relished the cut and thrust of close
combat and was invariably a fierce but fair fighter. His
driving was nearly faultless. When he made a rare
mistake he was quick to admit it. He confessed staying
on top was sometimes a struggle. “Only athletes at the
top of their game can relate to it. Weekend after
weekend you can’t drop the ball.”
The sport’s best driver remained humble and honest,
wearing his heart on his sleeve and showing more of his
sensitive side. Describing his season “an emotional
rollercoaster,” he dedicated it to his late friend and
mentor Niki Lauda. He mourned the loss of FIA F1 Race
Director Charlie Whiting, expressed shock after F2
driver Anthoine Hubert was killed in Belgium.
Beyond excelling in his risky profession Hamilton
continued to develop himself personally, furthering his
interests in fashion and music, as well as exposing his
social conscience. A vegan of several years, he
increasingly spoke publicly of his environmental and
animal welfare concerns, and helped launch a plant-
based burger restaurant in London. More than ever he
focussed on using his popularity as a force for positive
social change.
Recognising his responsibility as a role model for young
people striving to make their way in troubled times,
Lewis Hamilton the social media star encouraged his
millions of supporters in ‘Team Hamilton’ to follow their
dreams and never give up, a philosophy that took him
to the top of the world.
Shortened and stressed by the global Coronavirus
pandemic, the 2020 schedule - 17 races crammed into
23 weekends in 12 countries - resulted in one of the
most intense and memorable seasons in the sport’s 70-
year history. The non-stop action at existing and new
venues featured exciting racing, displays of virtuoso
driving, even a couple of first-time winners. A fiery
accident from which driver Romain Grosjean
miraculously escaped was a frightening reminder that
danger is never far away.
The one constant in this tumultuous time was the
continuing domination of Lewis Hamilton, who won his
seventh driving title and led his Mercedes team to a
seventh consecutive constructors’ championship.
The 35-year-old superstar’s record-setting season,
achieved with 11 wins, 10 poles and 14 podiums, made
Hamilton statistically the most successful F1 driver
ever. At the end of it, his 14-year, 266-race career had
thus far produced 95 wins, 98 poles, 165 podiums, as
well as putting him atop several other categories, with
no signs of him of slowing down.
Throughout his triumphant campaign Hamilton handled
his class-of-the-field Mercedes W11 with methodical
precision, controlling races, driving flawlessly fast, yet
with car-conserving care, to far outperform his team
mate Valtteri Bottas, who won just two races and
finished a distant second overall, in an identical car. Far
from gloating Hamilton paid tribute to him: "Valtteri is
amazing and doesn't get the credit he deserves."
Confirming the magnitude of Hamilton’s supremacy was
the fact he missed the penultimate race suffering from
the Covid-19 virus, then finished third in the final race
while feeling far below par. “The virus is no joke,” he
said. “I’m destroyed. I do not feel good and I’m grateful
to be alive and fight another day.”
Lewis Hamilton fans, whose support he constantly
acclaims, appreciate his personal warmth, humanity and
candour. He revealed that he wept in his helmet on the
cooling-down lap after securing the seventh
championship that equalled Michael Schumacher’s
historic achievement. Hamilton said he felt “humbled”
to break records set by former heroes. He confided he
still finds the build-up to a race “terrifying”, that doubts
and uncertainties are personal demons. He uses prayer
and meditation, practises yoga, reads self-help books to
control his fears, bolster his confidence. His dog
Roscoe, a faithful companion, is a source of joy.
Peerless in the car, he is a vital component in the all-
conquering Mercedes team, leading by example with
tireless drive and determination, inspiring the
personnel to constantly strive to improve their
performance, making major contributions to the way the
car and the teamwork. He is a loyal team player,
thanking everyone regularly. :"I couldn't have done any
of this without an incredible team behind me." (During
his disastrous 2020 season Sebastian Vettel much
appreciated a compassionate Hamilton calling him
frequently to cheer him up and motivate him.)
Few champions have worked harder at their profession,
none has become such a persuasive influencer in
promoting positive social change. Using his high profile,
communicating directly via social media to many
millions of followers worldwide, he supports such
worthy causes as human rights, children’s welfare,
environmental sustainability, animal welfare, disaster
relief and especially racial equality and diversity.
He spearheaded the drivers’ Black Lives Matter pre-race
ceremony, established himself as an articulate
spokesman campaigning against racial injustice and
became a prominent crusader in the movement to
create equal opportunity for the disadvantaged.
From his unique perspective atop the pinnacle of
motorsport Lewis Hamilton saw a flawed wider world
and took it upon himself to use his position of power to
become a force for good.
Lewis Hamilton called the 2021 season the hardest ever
in his 15 years at the pinnacle of motorsport. Hamilton
and Max Verstappen dominated the 20-car entry. The
drivers were at the top of the game, their respective
Mercedes and Red Bull Racing teams were the class of
the field. The intense rivalry between the 36-year-old
seven-time world champion Englishman and his hard-
charging 24-year-old Dutch rival was marred by
frequent clashes. Responding to Verstappen’s
aggressive driving, Hamilton fought back in kind -
setting them on a collision course seemingly destined to
end in controversy – which it did. Millions of enthralled
viewers witnessed one the most ferociously fought
championships in F1 history.
In the British Grand Prix at Silverstone their high-speed
collision sent Verstappen crashing violently into the
barriers. While he was transferred to hospital for tests
that found him badly shaken, Hamilton went on to win
despite a time penalty after stewards found him
predominantly to blame for the incident. At the Italian
Grand Prix the duelling duo’s coming-together at
Monza’s first corner ended terminally with the Red Bull
perched precariously atop the Mercedes. For Hamilton,
who escaped with wheel marks on his helmet, this was
his first non-finish in 63 races. In the penultimate
Saudia Arabian round, won by Hamilton ahead of
Verstappen after yet another acrimonious altercation in
which the Mercedes rear-ended the Red Bull, caused
according to Hamilton by a dangerous ‘brake test’
maneuvre for which his rival was assessed a time
penalty.
Having exchanged the championship lead throughout
the year (though Verstappen had nine wins to
Hamilton’s eight) the adversaries came to the final race
exactly equal in points. Thus the sport was dramatically
poised for a championship showdown at Abu Dhabi’s
Yas Marina track.
Hamilton convincingly led Verstappen until a
backmarker’s crash with a few laps remaining closed up
the field behind the safety car. To preserve his lead
Hamilton stayed out on worn tyres while Verstappen
pitted for fresh rubber. With the chequered flag fast
approaching, the race director instructed only those
lapped cars separating the two frontrunners to un-lap
themselves (normally it would be all lapped cars), thus
clearing the way for a last lap of all-out racing from
which the winner would take the title.
The Red Bull car on newly fitted tyres easily overtook
the Mercedes and Max Verstappen became the new
world champion. As the Red Bull team wept with joy
there were tears of rage among despairing Mercedes
personnel.
After Mercedes’ protests over the contentious safety
car decision and the race result were rejected, the team
ultimately opted against taking the matter to appeal,
with the FIA announcing it would conduct a ‘detailed
analysis and clarification exercise’ intended to end the
controversy and the ensuing arguments that were
‘tarnishing the image of the sport.’
Enhancing the image of the sport was Lewis Hamilton’s
dignified response to a crushing defeat that left him
disillusioned and unsure of his future.
“Firstly, a big congratulations to Max and his team,” he
said ahead of the podium ceremony at Abu Dhabi. “I
think our team did an amazing job…all the men and
women who have worked so hard this whole year…I’m
so proud of them and so grateful to be part of the
journey with them…We gave it absolutely everything
and we never gave up – that’s the most important
thing…We’re still in the Covid pandemic and I just wish
for everyone to stay safe and have a good Christmas
with all their families and we’ll see about next year.”
Mario Andretti, 1978 world champion, tweeted a
heartfelt appreciation of Hamilton’s sportsmanship:
‘The Lewis Hamilton Master Class on how to be the best
in every way. A champion who wins most days and
shows the world how to behave and stay composed
when situations aren’t kind to you. LH brings his A-
game even when his soul is ripped out. Strength,
Control of spirit. Role model.’
After the race the loser’s father Anthony Hamilton
embraced and consoled his son and then generously
congratulated Max and his father Jos Verstappen. A few
days later Lewis Hamilton visited the Mercedes factory,
praising the team on winning an eighth consecutive
Constructors’ Championship, thanking them for their
efforts on his behalf, encouraging the personnel to not
be discouraged. Next, accompanied by his mother
Carmen to the ceremony at Windsor Castle, Sir Lewis
Hamilton was officially knighted by Prince Charles.
Undisputed were Lewis Hamilton’s unrivaled
achievements after 288 F1 races. His records to date
included 103 victories, 103 pole positions, 183 podium
appearances and numerous other distinctions .
In 2022 Sir Lewis Hamilton failed to win a single F1
Grand Prix for the first time in his career. He was
classified sixth in the drivers’ standings, two positions
behind his young Mercedes team mate George Russell.
In the 22-race season. Hamilton made 10 trips to the
podium (including five second places) and scored points
in all but two races. The Mercedes team was third in the
Constructors’ Championship, behind Red Bull and
Ferrari, but the perceived plight of the sport’s most
successful driver was headline news.
Hamilton’s strenuous effort in a losing cause was far
from a personal disaster. There was no sulking over the
unfairness of his 2021 title loss, no lessening of his will
to win, His tremendous fighting spirit was still there, as
was his steadfast loyalty to Mercedes, whose imperfect
W13 chassis was the root cause of the team’s
performance drop-off in 2022. Searching for solutions to
sort out the ill-handling car, Mercedes experimented
with radical set-up changes during race weekends,
entrusting much of this task to its most experienced
driver - Hamilton.
The ‘test pilot’ duties accounted for his uneven results
but the car gradually improved, thus enabling 24-year-
old Russell, in his first full term with Mercedes, to
distinguished himself in a supporting role - highlighted
by a first F1 victory in the penultimate race of the
season. Finishing second there, Hamilton was quick to
congratulate Russell whose obvious talent bode well for
the future - as did the winning ways of his 37-year-old
team mate. For the 2023 season Hamilton’s outstanding
record of 103 victories would amount to more than the
rest of the grid combined.
The seven-time World Champion revealed how the
decision to prolong his career came after a short debate
with himself. “It won’t be forever but something inside
was telling me ‘You’re not done yet. You’ve got to keep
pushing. You’ve got more to do, more to achieve, on
and off the track.”
He admitted his fierce inner drive, his dedication to
promoting the many worthy causes he supports was
exhausting, but also the source of the energy required
to continue. Nevertheless, there was a time limit. “At
some stage,” he revealed, “I will want to have a family
and that will be my full focus, but right now, being in
Formula 1 with Mercedes is it.”