Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born into a mixed-race family on 7th January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. His mother, Carmen Larbalestier, was a white woman, and his father, Anthony Hamilton, was a black man from Grenadian lineage. He lived with his mother and half-sisters during his early life. Later he moved to live with his father and step-mother, sharing space with a half-brother Nicolas, following his parents’ divorce predicaments.
Lewis Hamilton-Early Life
He attended The John Henry Newman School for his primary education, which had a catholic basis, serving the best interest of the family’s religious practices. Lewis Hamilton was more inclined towards practicing sports and took part in football competitions throughout the academic year. However, Hamilton soon started to learn karate as a defense tactic against the racial abuse he faced at school.
Hamilton’s father Anthony had gifted him a remote-controlled car when he was five years old. The same year he competed and secured the second position in the national BRCA championship. Hamilton chose to study at Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS) college in Cambridge for his higher education.
Lewis Hamilton-Junior Racing Career
1) Karting
In the early days of 1993, Lewis Hamilton started to develop an interest in karting. He competed in several competitions and started winning cadet class championships. Lewis’ quick progress led him to earn the title of the youngest driver at the British Cadet championship, only at the age of 10. Three years later, he joined McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Program, where he has been professionally trained and developed his skills.
Lewis Hamilton continued his progress, and in 2000, he became European Champion with maximum points. The British Racing Drivers Club awarded Hamilton with the “Rising Star” title in 2000 due to his continuous progress in karting. Lewis competed against top players Michael Schumacher, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Nico Rosberg in the following year and landed the seventh position in the final.
2) Formula Renault and Formula Three
Lewis Hamilton began his racing career in 2001 with the British Formula Renault Winter Series. During his first race car test for Manor Motorsport, he had some difficulties. Later, Lewis competed in the entire 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport and placed third overall. Hamilton had his most successful Formula Renault series season in 2003. He won 10 races out of 15 and won the British Formula Renault race series.
In 2004, Lewis Hamilton debuted in the Formula 3 Euroseries with Manor and secured the fifth position. He won the competition in Bahrain F3 Superprix and later appeared in Macau F3 Grand Prix twice. In 2005, he competed in the Formula 3 Euroseries championship and won the championship title.
3) Grand Prix 2
With his outstanding performance in Formula Three, he got a chance to race in the ART Grand Prix in 2006. Lewis won the GP2 championship in his first attempt, racing against teammates Timo Glock and Nelson Piquet. As a result of the success at GP2, Lewis was confirmed as McLaren’s second driver after Michael Schumacher retired and Juan Pablo Montoya moved to NASCAR, and Kimi Raikkonen moved to Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton- Formula One Career
The Formula One World Championship is the highest level of single-seater motorsport. It was overlooked by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile association. The event consisted of some rules that obliged all competitors to manage their cars during the contest. The tracks for the auto racing competition were either purposely built or utilized public roads.
1) McLaren (2007–2012)
Lewis Hamilton started his F1 career with McLaren in 2007 and finished second as a rookie. Lewis was just one point behind Finland’s Kimi for the championship title. He won four races that year, which tied a record with Jacques Villeneuve for most wins in a season. The following year at age 23, he secured five victories, including one that gave him the world drivers championship title, making him the youngest person to do so until Sebastian Vettel later did it with the Red Bull Racing Team (RBRT).
He became the youngest person to win this championship and set a new record for most race wins by a rookie driver. Hamilton has continued to be one of the best drivers in Formula One, winning many races for McLaren. He won two races in 2009, three races in 2010 & 2011, and four races in 2012 to secure his position at F1.
2) Mercedes (2013–present)
Lewis Hamilton switched his plans for auto racing championships from McLaren to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One circuit in September 2012. Hamilton’s first season with Mercedes-Benz was not as successful as his previous seasons at McLaren. In 2013 he only won 1 race but was still able to rack up enough points that allowed him to finish top five in the standings again, this time as a member of the Mercedes team.
2014 brought luck for Hamilton, and he was able to win 11 races and secure his second driver’s championship. In 2015, he won another driver’s championship title just before the season was to end. With his and his teammate Nico Rosberg’s efficient efforts, Mercedes-Benz was able to win the F1 constructor’s championship. Mercedez and Hamilton’s teammate secured their respective titles in 2016, with Hamilton following on the second position.
The coming year, Lewis won nine races and got himself another drivers’ championship title. Hamilton made it to the five drivers’ championship in 2018, tying the title with Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-highest championship. In 2019 he got listed right behind Michael Schumacher. The following year brought him one more driver’s championship title, helping him tie it with Schumacher and breaking his record of most won races in F1(91).
Lewis Hamilton has won a record seven World Drivers’ Championships and holds records for the most victories (99), pole positions (101), and podium finishes (175), among other outstanding achievements. In his interview with Sky Sports, Hamilton said he is unsure how long he will remain in the sport but later declared he would stay on the championship grid in 2021.