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Statistically the most successful Formula 1 driver of all-time, it is a benchmark status the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will be looking to build on to cement his legacy in the series.
Born in Stevenage, Hamilton - who is of Grenadian descent - started on the path towards racing superstardom rather humbly by specialising in radio-controlled cars, a hobby that saw him finish second in a national championship against adults, and spurred on his progression to karting aged six. Graduating to the GP2 Series for 2006 with ASM’s sister ART Grand Prix team, Hamilton quickly established himself among the title contenders, his five wins prior to the summer break setting him up to clinch the title in his rookie season.
A high-profile switch to Mercedes in 2013 put Hamilton in a privileged position from 2014 after the German manufacturer emerged with far and away the quickest and most reliable interpretation of the championship’s radical new V6 turbo hybrid engine era. However, having been the clear benchmark for performance since the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes uncharacteristically lost its way with the W13, with even Hamilton unable to haul the porpoising package into Red Bull and Ferrari’s fight for superiority up ahead.
Placed sixth in the final standings, it left Hamilton both trailing his team-mate in fourth and without a win for the first time in his F1 career.Hamilton’s 2021 F1 season began with a clear target to move clear of fellow seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher by claiming a record eighth title in 2021.
Indeed, though the Briton turned the tide with a popular win at the British Grand Prix for a record eighth success at Silverstone, it came in controversial circumstances after Hamilton and Verstappen tangled on the opening lap, leaving the Red Bull buried in the barriers. Verstappen qualified on pole but Hamilton’s better getaway earned him an early lead, even his move to cut a chicane in defence of Verstappen’s overtaking attempt proved controversial.
Setting up a grandstand single lap dash to the flag, Hamilton was no match for the significantly faster Red Bull on his wing, Verstappen going on to pass for the lead - and the title - at Turn 5 and complete the victory moments later. He maintained his tempo to the end of the season with six more victories coming his way, most significantly in Portugal when he completed the 92nd win of his F1 career, officially surpassing Schumacher’s long-serving record of 91 wins.
However, when Hamilton responded by winning on Vettel’s home soil in Germany next time out, it would tip the balance back in his favour to assume a championship lead he’d cling onto thereafter to the end of the year. But wins for Hamilton in China, Spain and Canada steadied the ship and prevented the in-form Vettel from pulling out a sizeable margin coming into the summer, before another success at Silverstone set the stage for a fierce fight to ensue after the summer break.
However, just as Hamilton plotted his response upon F1’s return to Europe, his rivalry with Rosberg took a bitter turn when they collided on the run to Turn 4 during the Spanish Grand Prix. Triggered by both drivers aggressively attacking and defending one another in dispute of the lead, the collision put both out of the race and in hot water with Mercedes management.
And so it proved, Hamilton doing his utmost with four straight wins to the end of the year but being repelled by his team-mate’s quartet of second place finishes just behind. Indeed, though Rosberg kept him honest during the first half of the season, Hamilton eventually stretched clear of his team-mate to wrap up his third career F1 world championship title with three rounds to spare in the United States.
Hamilton set the standard early on with four wins from the opening five races and while Rosberg clawed back ground with a run of race-winning form during the middle portion of the year, the British driver stamped his mark again with a streak of five wins coming into the final events. With the German’s dominance making wins hard to come by for his rivals, Hamilton nonetheless stepped forward with a surprise victory from pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix.Vodafone McLaren-MercedesHamilton’s form rebounded in 2012 for what would become his final season with McLaren, his four victories bettered only by title winner Sebastian Vettel.
It brought his time at McLaren to a conclusion, ending a relationship he’d held with the British team for 14 years, with Hamilton making a surprise switch to Mercedes for the 2013 F1 season.With Vettel’s first title win signalling the start of a dominant era for Red Bull, Hamilton and McLaren were largely reduced to a ‘best of the rest’ battle in 2011.
Despite his car at times lacking the all-round performance of McLaren’s Red Bull and Ferrari rivals, Hamilton’s greater consistency during the first-half of the season - plus victories in Turkey and Canada - saw him lead the standings coming into the summer break. After getting his campaign off to a humble start in Australia when he was disqualified from third position as punishment for ‘misleading’ stewards over an incident during a safety car period, Hamilton settled into his season with a trio of solid points’ finishes in the next three rounds.
He got his campaign off to a perfect start with victory in the Australian Grand Prix, but just one further win - a first triumph on the streets of Monaco - from the opening eight rounds left him on the back foot and 10 points adrift of leader Felipe Massa. With Hamilton running a perilous fourth late on amid a heated battle with Sebastian Vettel, the arrival of rain prompted McLaren to pit him for intermediate tyres with just five laps to go, having presumed rivals would follow suit in the worsening conditions.
The success in only his second season of F1 made him the first British driver to win the F1 world championship since Damon Hill in 1996 and become the youngest title-winner on record, aged 23 years and 300 days.
Following it up with a second pole-to-flag victory just a week later at Indianapolis, Hamilton moved clear at the head of the standings, a position he’d maintain in the lead up to the summer break with three more podiums, including his third victory of the season in Hungary.
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