Lewis Hamilton is no new name to Formula 1 world. Considered as Greatest of All Time, Lewis was born on 7th January 1985 in Stevenage, England. Lewis Hamilton height is measured at 5ft 8in. Hamilton being the most successful British driver has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours List and has also received an MBE from Queen in 2009 after winning 2008 World Title. Now, currently driving for Mercedes AMG.
The words “Still I Rise” are inscribed on the back of Lewis Hamilton’s helmet and tattooed across his shoulders. Ever since shattering expectations with one of the greatest rookie performances in Formula One history in 2007, he has done nothing but rise: surpassed his idol Ayrton Senna for the most pole positions, surpassed Michael Schumacher for the most victories, and then tied the legendary German driver for seven world Formula 1 titles.
Early Life & Education
Hamilton is mixed-race since his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British and from Birmingham and his father, Anthony Hamilton, is Black and of Grenadian heritage. Hamilton has stated that he is black. When Hamilton’s parents divorced when he was two, he spent the next twelve years living with his mother and his elder half-sisters. Then, Hamilton shared a home with his dad, stepmom Linda, and half-brother. Catholicism was Hamilton’s upbringing.
Hamilton attended The John Henry Newman School, a Catholic secondary school in Stevenage that receives volunteer aid. Hamilton began learning karate at the age of five in order to protect himself from bullying at school. Along with playing association football for his school team with Ashley Young, a future England international, he also raced. Since he played both sports for his school teams, Hamilton, an Arsenal supporter, claimed that if Formula One had not worked out for him, he would have become a football or cricket player.
Junior Racing Career
Karting
When Hamilton started karting in 1993, he won races and cadet class championships right away. At the age of ten, he won the British cadet karting championship two years later, making history as the youngest driver to do so. At the Autosport Awards that year, Hamilton asked McLaren Formula One team owner Ron Dennis for an autograph and said: “Hi. Lewis Hamilton here. I won the British Championship, and I hope to race your cars someday.”
In Hamilton’s autograph book, Dennis wrote: “Call me in nine years, and we’ll work things out then.” After winning the British championship and the second Super One series in 1998, Dennis gave Hamilton a call and invited him to join the McLaren driver development program.
Hamilton continued to advance through the categories of Intercontinental A (1999), Formula A (2000), and Formula Super A (2001), and with the most points in 2000, he won the title of European Champion. Nico Rosberg, who would later compete for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One, was his teammate when they competed for Team MBM.com in Formula A and Formula Super A.
Formula Renault
In the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series, Hamilton made his racing debut and placed fifth overall. As a result, he participated in the entire 2002 Formula Renault UK season with Manor Motorsport, finishing third overall. He stayed with Manor for a another year, to win championship. After winning the title, Hamilton missed the final two races to make his Formula 3 debut in the British Formula 3 Championship’s season finale.
Formula 3
He made his Formula 3 Euro Series debut with Manor in 2004 and finished sixth overall. In addition, he took first place in the Bahrain F3 Superprix and competed twice in the Macau F3 Grand Prix. At Silverstone in late 2004, Hamilton conducted his first test with McLaren. For the 2005 season, Hamilton switched to the defending Euro Series champions ASM, and he dominated the competition by winning 15 out of the 20 rounds. At Zandvoort, he also captured the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3.
GP2 / Formula 2
For the 2006 season, Hamilton switched to ART Grand Prix, a sister GP2 team of ASM. At his first attempt, Hamilton defeated Timo Glock and Nelson Piquet Jr. to claim the GP2 championship. Despite receiving a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, he prevailed decisively at the Nürburgring. Giorgio Pantano’s loss of fastest lap honors in the Monza feature race resulted in Hamilton inheriting the final point he needed, allowing him to win the championship under unusual circumstances.
After Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen left for Ferrari and NASCAR, respectively, there was a vacancy at McLaren during the time that Hamilton was having success in the GP2 title. After months of rumor over the team’s second driver for 2007, Pedro de la Rosa, Gary Paffett, or Lewis Hamilton would be paired with reigning champion Fernando Alonso.
Formula 1 career
McLaren (2007-2012)
2007,Lewis Hamilton being the only black driver in the history of Formula 1 drove for McLaren for the first time. In his debut season Lewis Hamilton finished second after Kimi Raikkonen by only one point and rookie amazed everyone.
2008, winning World Title, he became the youngest World Champion (then) by winning 5 races and obtaining ten podiums. Denying his rival, Filipe Massa by just one point. The competition was cut throat
In the final four years with McLaren, Hamilton continued to score points and podiums but couldn’t win the championship. Finishing fourth in 2010 season, fifth in 2011 season and again fourth in 2012 season. All these years, the championship was won by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull. After being with McLaren for six years, Hamilton was signed with Mercedes in 2013.
Mercedes (2013 - present)
2013, with Mercedes, he got Nico Rosberg as his teammate. Hamilton got only one win in the season at Hungarian Grand Prix. Lewis finished fourth in standings for the third time in five years
2014 was the season which can be considered as the beginning of Lewis Hamilton era. Mercedes clinched 16 wins out of 19 races, of which 11 belonged to Lewis. In 2014, Lewis Hamilton won finished at P1 – winning his second Formula 1 world title.
2015 was again dominated by Lewis Hamilton. Winning ten races with seventeen podiums, Sir Lewis Hamilton won his third world title. The closest challenge to Hamilton was his own teammate Nico Rosberg and it could be seen as their inside rivalry intensified.
2016, the year were Lewis got more race wins and pole by any other driver but failed to win Formula 1 World Championship by just five points to his own teammate Rosberg. We saw many crashed between these two both, on and off the track. But this was the end of rivalry as Nico announced his retirement at the end of the season.
2017, the title winning chances kept shifting hands as Vettel was the closest rival to Hamilton that season. With 11 poles and two races to spare, Lewis Hamilton secured his fourth Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
2018 was again Lewis’s year. Both Vettel and Hamilton fighting for their fifth World Title, Vettel had a rough season with few crashed and mechanical failures. Resulting Lewis his fifth Formula 1 title with 408 points.
2019 with no surprise belonged to Lewis Hamilton. Defending his legacy from teammate Valteri Bottas, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). Lewis won sixth World Title in the last race of the season.
2020 resulted in Hamilton’s seventh title. Tied with Michael Schumacher. Over shortened season of seventeen races, Lewis Hamilton won 11 out of them breaking Schumacher’s record of 91 race wins.
2021 was the beginning of Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen rivalry. With the fierce rivalry with multiple crashes and controversies and title fight going to the final race of the season with tied points. Max won the title by overtaking Hamilton in the final lap, finishing second.
2022, with new Formula 1 rules and upgradations to the car. Mercedes was unable to produce a Championship winning car but they still managed a few wins and podiums finishing third in constructors and Hamilton finishing 6th behind his new teammate George Russell in 4th.
Personal Life
Hamilton, a Catholic, claims to frequently pray and to follow his beliefs. Hamilton considers that when he competes in Formula One, the “hand of God” is watching over him. Hamilton is a proponent of LGBT rights as well.
Hamilton disclosed in March 2022 that he is working on getting his mother’s maiden name, Larbalestier, added to his name as a middle name. Hamilton became an honorary Brazilian citizen on June 9, 2022.
For his vegan activism, he received the PETA Person of the Year award in 2018. Hamilton claimed to have stopped drinking “a while ago” in an interview from the year 2018.
Lewis Hamilton girlfriend
Lewis Hamilton, a Mercedes driver, is dating model Camila Kendra, 27, who was born on June 29, 1994, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. When Camila was three years old, her family relocated to Florida in the United States. Stanley Kendra is her father, while Lissette Kendra is her mother. Sebastian Kendra is her brother’s name as well. Her brother and father are both commercial pilots.
It appears that Tyler and Camila’s relationship is over at this point. Camila allegedly ended the relationship because it was time for her to put her full attention back on her successful profession. However, according to recent discoveries, the 27-year-old posted images in the F1 champion’s home and the two are reported to have been dating for a while.
Net worth
Lewis Hamilton net worth is estimated to be around $285 Million US Dollars. Whereas Lewis Hamilton salary is $50 Million US Dollars per annum.
Activism
In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Hamilton kneeled before each race he competed in during the 2020 Formula One season and donned t-shirts with the message “Black Lives Matter.” After George Floyd was murdered in May 2020 while being detained
Hamilton wore a T-shirt that read “Arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor” on the front and “Say her name” with a picture of Taylor on the back during the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix weekend, including on the podium.
Hamilton confronted Bahrain’s violations of human rights in December 2020. Ahmed Ramadhan, 11, wrote Hamilton a letter imploring him to save his father, who was facing death penalty and Hamilton responded that he “won’t let it go ignored” and that he “won’t let it go unnoticed.”
He also solicits support for his projects through his social media outlets, which include calling on China to categorize dogs as pets rather than livestock,
He gave a total of US$500,000 in January 2020 to a number of organizations dealing with the bushfire catastrophe in Australia.
Rewards & Recognition
United Kingdom
Member of the Order of the British Empire (2008)- Knight Bachelor (2020)
Grenada- Honorary Award, Grenada (2008)
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Grenada- A portrait of Hamilton by photographer Dario Mitidieri is held in the collection of the National Potrait Gallery.
- The Hamilton Straight, Silverstone Circuit.
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