Lewis Hamilton
Born and raised in Stevenage, Hamilton began his career in karting at age six, winning several national titles and attracting the attention of Ron Dennis, who signed him to the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Programme in 1998. After winning the Karting World Cup and European Championship in 2000, Hamilton progressed to junior formulae, where his successes included winning the Formula 3 Euro Series and the GP2 Series.
He subsequently signed for McLaren in 2007, becoming the first black driver to compete in Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix. In his rookie season, Hamilton won four Grands Prix and set several records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point and tied with his teammate Fernando Alonso. Hamilton won his maiden title in 2008, making a title-deciding overtake on the last lap of the last race of the season to become the then-youngest World Drivers' Champion.
The Red Bull–Renault combination prevailed throughout his remaining four seasons at McLaren, with Hamilton achieving multiple race wins in each, including his involvement in a four-way title battle in 2010.
Hamilton signed for Mercedes in 2013 to partner his old karting teammate Nico Rosberg, ending his 15-year association with McLaren. Following his maiden victory with the team at the Hungarian Grand Prix, new engine regulations the following season saw Mercedes emerge as the dominant force in Formula One. Over the next three seasons, Hamilton and Rosberg won 51 of 59 Grands Prix amidst their fierce rivalry, with Hamilton winning the former titles in 2014 and 2015, and Rosberg winning the latter.
After Rosberg's retirement, Hamilton twice overturned mid-season point deficits to Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari to claim his fourth and fifth titles in 2017 and 2018. Hamilton won his sixth title in 2019, before breaking several records across his 2020 campaign—including the all-time win record at the Portuguese Grand Prix—to claim his record-equalling seventh.
Hamilton became the first driver to surpass 100 race wins and pole positions in 2021, ending runner-up to Max Verstappen amidst a disputed finish. Following winless campaigns in 2022 and 2023, he took his record ninth British Grand Prix victory in 2024, his final season with Mercedes. Hamilton signed for Ferrari in 2025, where he won his first Grand Prix in 2026 and is contracted to remain until at least the end of 2027.
Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One's global following by appealing to a broader audience outside the sport, in part due to his high-profile lifestyle, amongst his environmental and social activism. He has also become a prominent advocate in support of racial justice and increased diversity in motorsport.
Hamilton was listed in the 2020 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people globally, was named the most influential black Briton in the Powerlist 2021, and was knighted by Elizabeth II in the 2021 New Year Honours.
Early life and education
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. His father, Anthony Hamilton, is of Afro-Grenadian descent, while his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British from Birmingham, making him mixed-race. Hamilton's parents separated when he was two, after which he lived with his mother and older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, until he was twelve.
Hamilton then lived with his father, stepmother Linda, and his half-brother Nicolas, who is also a professional racing driver. Hamilton was raised a Catholic.
Hamilton's father bought him a radio-controlled car when he was five. Hamilton finished second in the national BRCA championship the following year against adult competition. Being the only black child racing at his club, Hamilton was subjected to racist abuse. Hamilton's father bought him a go-kart for Christmas when he was six and promised to support his racing career as long as he worked hard at school.
To support his son, Hamilton's father took redundancy from his position as an IT manager and became a contractor, sometimes working up to four jobs at a time including employment as a double glazing salesman, dishwasher, and putting up signs for estate agents, while still attending his son's races. Hamilton's father later set up his own IT company. He continued to be Hamilton's manager until early 2010.
Hamilton was educated at The John Henry Newman School, a voluntary aided Catholic secondary school in Stevenage. Hamilton has said that at the age of five he took up karate to defend himself as a result of bullying at school. He was also excluded from school for a period when he was mistakenly identified as having attacked a fellow student who was treated in hospital for his injuries.
In addition to racing, he played association football for his school team with eventual England international, Ashley Young. Hamilton, an Arsenal fan, said that if Formula One had not worked for him, he would have been a footballer or a cricketer, having played both for his school teams. In February 2001, he began studies at Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), a private sixth-form college in Cambridge.
Junior racing career
Karting
Hamilton began karting in 1993 and quickly began winning races and cadet class championships. Two years later, he became the youngest driver to win the British cadet karting championship at the age of ten. That year, Hamilton approached McLaren Formula One team boss Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards for an autograph and said: "Hi.
I'm Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars." Dennis wrote in Hamilton's autograph book: "Phone me in nine years, we'll sort something out then."
When Hamilton was 12, Ladbrokes took a bet, at 40/1 odds, that Hamilton would win a Formula One race before the age of 23; another predicted, at 150/1 odds, that he would win the World Drivers' Championship before he was 25. In 1998, Dennis called Hamilton following his second Super One series and British championship wins, to offer Hamilton a role in the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Programme.
The contract included an option of a future Formula One seat, which would make Hamilton the youngest driver to secure a contract that later resulted in a Formula One drive.
He's a quality driver, very strong and only 16. If he keeps this up I'm sure he will reach F1. It's something special to see a kid of his age out on the circuit. He's clearly got the right racing mentality.
Hamilton continued his progress in the Intercontinental A (1999), Formula A (2000) and Formula Super A (2001) ranks, and became European Champion in 2000 with maximum points. In Formula A and Formula Super A, racing for TeamMBM.com, his teammate was Nico Rosberg, who would later drive for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One; they would later team up again for Mercedes from 2013 to 2016.
Following his karting successes, the British Racing Drivers' Club made him a "Rising Star" Member in 2000. In 2001, Michael Schumacher made a one-off return to karts and competed against Hamilton along with other future Formula One drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton ended the final in seventh, four places behind Schumacher. Although the two saw little of each other on the track, Schumacher praised the young Briton.
Formula Renault and Formula Three
Hamilton began his car racing career in the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series, finishing fifth in the standings. This led to a full 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport in which he finished third overall, and fifth in the Formula Renault Eurocup amidst only competing for four rounds. He remained with Manor for another year in Formula Renault UK, winning the championship in a dominant fashion ahead of Alex Lloyd, as he registered 10 wins from 15 races.
Having clinched the championship, Hamilton missed the last two races of the season to make his debut in the season finale of the British Formula 3 Championship. In his first race he was forced out with a puncture, and in the second he crashed out and was taken to hospital after a collision with teammate Tor Graves.
Asked in 2002 about the prospect of becoming one of the youngest ever Formula One drivers, Hamilton replied that his goal was "not to be the youngest in Formula One" but rather "to be experienced and then show what I can do in Formula One". He made his debut with Manor in the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series, ending the year fifth in the championship.
He also won the Bahrain F3 Superprix, and twice raced in the Macau F3 Grand Prix. Williams had come close to signing Hamilton but did not as BMW, their engine supplier at the time, refused to fund him. Hamilton eventually re-signed with McLaren. According to then McLaren executive and future CEO Martin Whitmarsh, who was responsible for guiding Hamilton through the team's young driver programme, he and Anthony Hamilton had a "huge row" at the end of the season, with his father pushing for him to move up to GP2 for 2005, while Whitmarsh felt that he should remain in Formula 3 for a second season, culminating in Whitmarsh tearing up Hamilton's contract; however, Hamilton called Whitmarsh six weeks later and re-signed with the team.
Hamilton had his first Formula One test with McLaren in late 2004 at Silverstone. He moved to the reigning Euro Series champions, ASM for the 2005 season and dominated the championship, winning 15 of the 20 rounds and bragging 13 pole positions. He also won the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort. Following his success, British magazine Autosport featured him in their "Top 50 Drivers of 2005" issue, ranking Hamilton at 24th.
GP2
Hamilton moved to ASM's sister GP2 team, ART Grand Prix, for the 2006 season. Hamilton won the GP2 championship at his first attempt, beating Nelson Piquet Jr. He secured a dominant win at the Nürburgring, amidst a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. At his home race in Silverstone, Hamilton overtook two rivals at Becketts, a series of high-speed corners where overtaking is considered to be rare.
In Istanbul he recovered from a spin that left him in 18th place to take second. Hamilton won the title in unusual circumstances, inheriting the final point he needed after Giorgio Pantano was stripped of fastest lap in the Monza feature race.
Formula One career
McLaren (2007–2012)
Hamilton's success in the GP2 championship coincided with a vacancy at McLaren-Mercedes following the departure of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari. Hamilton was given nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of testing in the McLaren MP4-21 to acclimatise himself to Formula One, alongside Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett.
Ultimately, Hamilton was confirmed as the team's second driver; the announcement was not made public for nearly two months, reportedly to avoid being overlooked by Michael Schumacher's retirement announcement.
2007–2008: Record-breaking debut seasons
Hamilton's maiden season in Formula One saw him partner two-time defending World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren. At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton became the first—and, as of 2026[update], only—black driver to race in the series.
After finishing third on debut, Hamilton went on to set several records, including the most consecutive podium finishes from debut (9), the most wins in a debut season (4, shared with Jacques Villeneuve), and the then-most points in a debut season (109). Acquiring the championship lead as early as in the fourth round of the season, Hamilton became the youngest driver to lead the World Drivers' Championship.
After a series of misfortunes in the latter half of the season, including strategic missteps by McLaren in the closing rounds and a retirement at the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton's 12-point advantage in the standings evanesced. He finished runner-up in the championship to Räikkönen by one point, classified ahead of teammate Alonso whilst finishing level on points.
Throughout the season, Hamilton and Alonso were involved in several incidents, which resulted in inter-team tensions, culminating in Alonso and McLaren terminating their contract by mutual consent. Hamilton signed a £50 million contract to stay with the team until the end of 2012.
Partnering Heikki Kovalainen for 2008, Hamilton's winning form continued as he amassed five race victories and 10 podium finishes. Ferrari drivers, along with BMW's Robert Kubica, emerged as his closest rivals, as they engaged in a close battle for the title with Hamilton during the first half of the season. At the rain-affected British Grand Prix, he won by over a minute from second-placed Nick Heidfeld, which was widely acclaimed as one of the greatest wet-weather performances in Formula One history.
As the season progressed towards the closing rounds, the championship became a clear two-way fight between Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Hamilton won his maiden title at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, overtaking Timo Glock for fifth-place at the final corners of the last lap to become the then-youngest World Drivers' Champion, and deny race-winner Massa the title by one point.
Hamilton also became the first British driver to win the World Drivers' Championship since Damon Hill in 1996.
2009–2012: Unsuccessful title bids and departure from McLaren
During his veering final years with McLaren—a period largely dominated by Red Bull—Hamilton continued to score podium finishes and race victories, and challenged for titles. Major technical regulation changes in 2009 led to a challenging start for McLaren. Often qualifying outside of the top ten, and struggling to finish consistently on points, Hamilton's chances of defending his title became unfeasible.
Major upgrades at the German Grand Prix saw a dramatic improvement in performance of the MP4-24 car. From that point onward, Hamilton advanced from eleventh to fifth in the standings and outscored the rest of the field, securing two race victories and three additional podium finishes across the remaining nine rounds.
In 2010, Hamilton was partnered by reigning World Drivers' Champion Jenson Button. Whilst McLaren struggled to match the outright pace of Red Bull and Ferrari, Hamilton engaged in a four-way title battle with Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber throughout the season. At the Canadian Grand Prix, he secured McLaren's only pole position of the season, and took the championship lead after winning the race.
Hamilton's latter half of the season unravelled with a number of misfortunes, including race-ending collisions and mechanical failures, culminated in him losing vital points to his rivals, and ultimately, the championship lead. He entered the final round of the season with an outside chance of winning the title, but finished fourth in the standings as Vettel won his maiden title.
2011 was a challenging year for Hamilton, marking the first season he had been out-scored by a teammate, as Button finished runner-up to Vettel. Setbacks in his private life, as well as on-track collisions culminating in multiple run-ins with the stewards, contributed to his inconsistent performances throughout the season.
Hamilton finished fifth in the standings with three race wins; he secured the only non-Red Bull pole position of the season at the Korean Grand Prix, and vowed he would return to form.
In 2012, McLaren emerged as contenders for the title, with Hamilton remaining in title contention during the first half of the season. Akin to the 2010 season, he endured a challenging latter half of the season, with inconsistent results and a series of mechanical failures. Across those ten races, Hamilton encountered five retirements, three whilst leading.
Ultimately, Hamilton finished fourth in the standings, achieving four race wins and a season-highest seven pole positions. Motorsport.com analysis found that Hamilton had lost an estimated 110 points due to race retirements and other misfortunes. Prior to the end of the year, having denied multiple renegotiations with McLaren, Hamilton announced—to widespread surprise—that he would be joining Mercedes for the 2013 season.
Hamilton expressed his gratitude, stating he was "forever grateful" for the opportunities and support he had received throughout his career, ending a 15-year association with McLaren.
Mercedes (2013–2024)
2013–2016: Teammates with Rosberg
Upon signing with Mercedes in 2013, with a deal reportedly worth more than £60 million to replace the retiring Schumacher, Hamilton was reunited with his childhood karting teammate, Nico Rosberg. The move was met with surprise by pundits and the public, with some describing the move to Mercedes—a team with no recent history of success—as a gamble.
In his first season with the Brackley-based team—amidst Mercedes W04's tyre management struggles—Hamilton finished fourth in the standings, securing five podium finishes and pole positions, with only one converted into a race victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Whilst Pirelli's switch in tyre construction contributed to his victory in Hungary, Hamilton and Mercedes endured a difficult latter half of the season, as he only managed to achieve one podium finish for the rest of the year.
Changes to engine regulations for the 2014 season, which mandated the use of turbo-hybrid engines, contributed to the start of a highly successful era for Hamilton. Mercedes won 16 of the 19 races held that season; Hamilton secured a career-best 11 victories as he prevailed in a season-long duel for the title against teammate Rosberg.
After securing a streak of wins and acquiring the championship lead, Hamilton endured a number of misfortunes mid-season, including mechanical failures and a collision with Rosberg which culminated in a retirement from the Belgian Grand Prix, saw him trailing Rosberg by 29 points in the standings. Following a run of five consecutive race victories towards the end of the season, Hamilton clinched his second World Drivers' Championship at the final round in Abu Dhabi, and declared it was "the greatest day of [his] life" over team radio.
📚 Source: Wikipedia
