Lewis Hamilton - Career, Titles, & Records

Lewis Hamilton is not only one of the most famous athletes in the world, but he is also one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, the holder of countless records in the sport.

Career:

Pre-F1

Lewis Hamilton got into karting at a very young age and he was always destined to be a star in Formula One. Hamilton has one of the best karting records of all time, with six major karting titles including winning the World Cup and European Championship.

McLaren Era 2007-2012:

He was signed to the McLaren youth academy at a young age and eventually made his debut in 2007, alongside reigning world champion Fernando Alonso. In his maiden campaign, Hamilton produced one of the best rookie seasons that we have ever seen. He won four races and finished just one point short of an incredible first season title.

In 2008, It seemed as though the title had slipped through his grasp once again when Felipe Massa began celebrating after winning the final race of the season. But thanks to Timo Glock struggling with the wet conditions, Hamilton moved up a position, enough to win the championship.

But he would struggle over the next few years with McLaren, with the reliability and pace of the car dropping off. Hamilton began to become frustrated with the team as there were controversies in his time with the team. The relationship truly broke down when Hamilton’s car broke down while he was leading the Singapore Grand Prix in 2012, ending his title hopes.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Era 2012-Present:

He took the incredibly risky move to go to Mercedes, a team who had only recently returned to Formula One. It was seen a step down by many F1 commentators and personalities, but they would turn out to be very wrong.

Thanks in part to the change in rules during the hybrid era, Mercedes were able to continually produce the fastest and most reliable car on the grid. During the hybrid era, Hamilton produced a dominant spell which we have never seen. During that time, Hamilton won six World Championships, which included dominant victories in 2018 and 2019.

2016 was one of the exceptions in that time, with Hamilton losing to his teammate Nico Rosberg in the final race of the season. 2016 was one of the best title battles we have ever seen. 2018 was another great title fight, with Hamilton able to distance himself from Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton has seen his form slightly dip in the last year, beginning with a very controversial end to the 2021 title fight. He was overtaken by Max Verstappen on the last lap of the final race after the pair had clashed numerous times throughout the season.

He Is still performing at a very high level at age 37.

Records

Hamilton has already had an exceptional career, one of the best of all time. He is a seven time F1 World Champion and an eight time F1 Constructors champion. Lewis holds the record for the most wins in Formula One history, becoming the first person to pass the 100 win mark.

How many wins has Hamilton had?

Hamilton holds the record most wins at the same Grand Prix with two different races. He also holds the record for the most pole positions, also becoming the first man to pass the 100 pole mark and way ahead of Michael Schumacher in second. At the time of writing he also has 191 podiums, the most in Formula One history.

Outside of F1

Outside of the sport, he is a global superstar. Hamilton is seen as the richest British sportsperson and has countless sponsorship deals. He has always been vocal about social issues, with Hamilton determined to leave a legacy that inspires young people to get into the sport. He is also a member of the ownership group of Denver Broncos.