A Remarkable Talent
From a young age, it was clear that Hamilton was a remarkable talent. Despite often having to compete with less superior equipment than his rivals, Lewis Hamilton won almost everything in karting. At the tender age of ten, he gathered all his courage and approached McLaren’s top man, Ron Dennis. Hamilton was a huge fan of McLaren, the car of his idol Ayrton Senna. ‘One day, I will drive one of your cars,’ he told Dennis.
Three years later, McLaren included the talented youngster in their program, supporting him until his entry into Formula 1 in 2007. In his first year in the premier class of motorsport, Hamilton achieved the near-impossible: as a rookie, he took on his teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and defeated him. However, Kimi Räikkönen was the one who benefited from the sometimes dirty battle waged by both camps. A year later, Hamilton won his first world championship in the most thrilling season finale of modern Formula 1, securing the title in the literal last lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton’s Switch to Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton remained loyal to McLaren until 2012, when he surprised everyone by switching to Mercedes. Advisor Niki Lauda had convinced him, and two years later, it became clear why. The Silver Arrows were unbeatable in the hybrid era. Hamilton was only outdone by teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016, but after that, he started breaking records. In 2020, he became a seven-time world champion, equalling the legendary record of Michael Schumacher. The hunt for title number eight began.
In 2021, that eighth world title seemed within reach. During the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton appeared to have a good chance for a long time, but in the last lap, he was outdone by Max Verstappen. Both rivals had started the race with an equal number of points. The disappointing outcome for Hamilton resulted in a massive hangover for the Brit. After the season, he disappeared for a while, even remaining silent on social media.
A few days after the anticlimax, Hamilton was officially knighted by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle. After Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, and Jack Brabham, Hamilton is only the fourth British racing driver who can call himself ‘Sir’.
In 2022, ‘Sir Lewis’ returned to the start of the season. However, it was another disappointing season for Mercedes and Hamilton. Impressive results were lacking. In fact, 2022 was the first season in his long F1 career that he did not win a single race.
2023 continued in the same vein. Lewis Hamilton also failed to win any races for the British team this year. Despite another season without victories, the seven-time champion managed to score enough points for a third place in the championship.
However, the Brit has different plans for 2025. Prior to the 2024 Formula 1 season, it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes for Scuderia Ferrari. Thanks to a clause in his contract with Toto Wolff‘s team, the Brit was able to terminate his contract with Mercedes early. Hamilton signed a multi-year contract with the Italian racing team.
