Lewis Hamilton

Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985. He is a British racing driver who now races in Formula One for Ferrari.

Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history. He shares the record for the most Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with seven wins, the same as Michael Schumacher. Hamilton also holds many important records.

Hamilton grew up in Stevenage. He started his career in karting when he was six years old. He won many titles and caught the eye of Ron Dennis. Dennis brought him into the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Programme in 1998.

Hamilton entered Formula One in 2007 with McLaren. He became the first black driver to race in the sport. In 2008, he won his first championship.

In 2013, Hamilton moved to Mercedes. He won multiple championships and broke many records. In 2020, he won his seventh title. After many years with Mercedes, Hamilton joined Ferrari for the 2025 season.

Beyond racing, Hamilton supports important causes like racial justice. His influence helped grow the popularity of Formula One around the world. In 2021, he was honored with a knighthood for his contributions to the sport.

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, and his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British from Birmingham. When Hamilton was two, his parents separated, and he lived with his mother and older half-sisters until he was twelve. After that, he lived with his father, stepmother Linda, and his half-brother Nicolas, who is also a professional racing driver. Hamilton was raised in the Catholic faith.

Hamilton’s father bought him a radio-controlled car when he was five, and he finished second in a national championship the next year. When he was six, his father bought him a go-kart for Christmas. To support Lewis’s racing, his father took on many jobs, including working as an IT manager, a double glazing salesman, and even putting up signs for estate agents. He also started his own IT company later on. Hamilton was educated at The John Henry Newman School, a voluntary aided Catholic secondary school in Stevenage. He took up karate at age five. Hamilton also played football for his school team with Ashley Young, who later played for England international teams. Hamilton is a big fan of Arsenal and said if racing didn’t work out, he might have become a footballer or cricketer. In February 2001, he began studies at Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), a private sixth-form college in Cambridge.

Junior racing career

Karting

Lewis Hamilton started racing go-karts in 1993 and quickly began winning races. By ten years old, he was the youngest winner of the British cadet karting championship. That year, he met McLaren Formula One team boss Ron Dennis and said, "Hi. I'm Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to race your cars." Dennis wrote in Hamilton's autograph book: "Phone me in nine years, we'll sort something out then."

When Hamilton was 12, a betting company guessed he would win a Formula One race before turning 23. In 1998, Dennis called Hamilton and offered him a spot in the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Programme, which could lead to a future Formula One seat.

Formula Renault and Formula Three

Hamilton began his car racing career in 2001. In 2002, he finished third in the British Formula Renault series and fifth in the Formula Renault Eurocup. He won the British Formula Renault championship in 2003 with ten victories from fifteen races. Later that year, he started racing in the British Formula 3 Championship but had some tough first races.

Hamilton kept racing in Formula 3, finishing fifth in the 2004 championship and winning the Bahrain F3 Superprix. He had his first Formula One test with McLaren in late 2004. In 2005, he won the Formula 3 Euro Series, winning fifteen of twenty races and earning thirteen pole positions.

GP2

In 2006, Hamilton moved to the GP2 series and won the championship in his first try. He had important victories, including a strong win at the Nürburgring and a good performance at his home race in Silverstone. He won the title with a point he earned after another driver lost a fastest lap award.

Formula One career

McLaren (2007–2012)

Hamilton joined McLaren in 2007 after showing great promise in lower racing series. In his first season, he became the first black driver to compete in Formula One. He set many records and finished second in the championship. In 2008, Hamilton won his first World Championship by overtaking another driver on the last lap of the final race.

During his later years with McLaren, Hamilton continued to win races. However, he faced challenges like mechanical problems and tough competition. In 2012, after 15 years with McLaren, Hamilton left to join Mercedes.

Mercedes (2013–2024)

In 2013, Hamilton joined Mercedes and was reunited with a childhood racing friend. His first few years were mixed, but in 2014, the team began to dominate, and Hamilton won his second World Championship. He went on to win four more titles from 2017 to 2020.

In 2021, Hamilton had a close battle for the championship but missed out on the title in the final race. Over the next few years, Mercedes struggled with new car designs, and Hamilton did not win any races. In 2024, after many years with Mercedes, Hamilton decided it was time for a new challenge.

Ferrari (2025–present)

In 2025, Hamilton joined Ferrari, a team he had dreamed of driving for as a child. This move surprised many people because he had always driven for teams using Mercedes engines before. In his first season with Ferrari, Hamilton faced difficulties adapting to the new cars and had mixed results. He is working closely with the team to help improve their performance for future seasons.

Driver profile

Lewis Hamilton is one of the best drivers in racing. He is good at many things, and can drive well in all kinds of weather, especially when it is rainy. He can change his driving to fit different cars and tracks.

Hamilton has faced challenges but always shows skill and maturity. He is a strong competitor but fair to others.

Besides racing, Hamilton connects well with fans and helps promote the sport. He also has many interests outside of racing.

Hamilton has won many World Championship titles and is respected by experts and fans as one of the greatest drivers. His ability to drive well in all conditions has earned him lots of respect.

Other ventures

Lewis Hamilton works to support fairness and opportunity for everyone. He talks about including more people from different backgrounds in racing. In 2020, he showed support for social movements by taking a moment of silence before races and wearing messages about justice.

He also started projects to help young people from less advantaged backgrounds achieve their dreams, promising money to support these efforts.

Hamilton cares about helping children and has worked with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for many years. He has visited places where children face big challenges, like poverty and hunger, and has helped raise money to support them. Through his foundation and other charitable activities, Hamilton supports many causes, including education, healthcare for children, and helping those affected by illness or hardship. He also uses his fame to raise awareness and funds for these important issues.

Personal life

In 2017, Lewis Hamilton told the BBC that he became a vegan because he cared about the environment and wanted to live healthier. In 2018, he was named the PETA Person of the Year for supporting vegan ideas. That same year, he said he gave up drinking some time ago.

Hamilton chose the number 44 for his racing cars, inspired by his father’s old car license plate "F44". He kept using 44 even when drivers could pick permanent numbers. Before the 2015 season, he decided not to switch to number 1, even though he had won the championship the year before.

Hamilton enjoys art and mentions Andy Warhol as a favorite artist. He is a Catholic and says his faith guides him. In March 2022, he announced plans to change his legal name to include his mother’s maiden name, Larbalestier. In June 2022, he became an honorary citizen of Brazil.

In September 2024, Hamilton shared that he had faced challenges since he was 13, linked to pressures from racing and school.

Awards and honours

Formula One

Lewis Hamilton has won many important awards in Formula One racing. He has won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship seven times. He also received the DHL Fastest Lap Award, the FIA Pole Trophy, the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy, the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy, the FIA Action of the Year, and the FIA Personality of the Year.

Other awards

Main article: List of career achievements by Lewis Hamilton § Awards

Hamilton has been recognised with many other awards outside of Formula One. He won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award and shared the Sportsman of the Year Award with Lionel Messi. He also received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, the European Sportsperson of the Year, the Best Driver ESPY Award, L'Équipe Champion of Champions, and Gazzetta World Sportsman of the Year. Hamilton has won 19 Autosport Awards and was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame in 2017.

Orders and special awards

Hamilton has received special awards and honours from different countries. He was given honorary citizenship from Brazil in 2022 and an honorary award from Grenada in 2008. In the United Kingdom, he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2021.

Fellowships

He became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2019.

Recognition

Hamilton has been recognised in various ways, including a portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London, a straight named after him at Silverstone Circuit, and an asteroid named after him.

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

• Season still in progress.

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
^‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

• Season still in progress.

Formula One records

Main article: List of career achievements by Lewis Hamilton § Records

Lewis Hamilton began racing in Formula One at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, becoming the first black driver to compete. He has broken many records, including the most race wins (105), pole positions (104), podium finishes (203), and championship points (5,069.5). He won his seventh title, matching the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.