Lewis Hamilton

Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with Michael Schumacher—and holds the records for most wins (105), pole positions (104), and podium finishes (201), among others. Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton began his career in karting aged six, winning several national titles and attracting the attention of Ron Dennis, who signed him the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 1998. After winning the direct-drive Karting World Cup and European Championship in 2000, Hamilton progressed to junior formulae, where his successes included winning the Formula 3 Euro Series and the GP2 Series. He subsequently signed for McLaren in 2007, becoming the first black driver to compete in Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix. In his rookie season, Hamilton won four Grands Prix and set several records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. Hamilton won his maiden title in 2008, making a title-deciding overtake on the last lap of the last race of the season to become the then-youngest World Drivers' Champion. Despite Red Bull dominance throughout his remaining four seasons at McLaren, he achieved multiple race wins in each. Hamilton signed for Mercedes in 2013 to partner Nico Rosberg, ending his 15-year association with McLaren. Following his maiden victory with the team at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, new engine regulations came into effect the following season, which saw Mercedes emerge as the dominant force in Formula One. From 2014 to 2016, Hamilton and Rosberg won 51 of 59 Grands Prix amidst their fierce rivalry—widely known as The Silver War—with Hamilton winning the former titles in 2014 and 2015, and Rosberg winning the latter. Following Rosberg's retirement, Hamilton twice overturned mid-season point deficits to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to claim his fourth and fifth titles in 2017 and 2018. Further consecutive titles followed in 2019 and 2020 to equal Michael Schumacher's record seven World Drivers' Championships, breaking the all-time win record at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. Hamilton became the first driver to surpass 100 race wins and pole positions in 2021, where he finished runner-up to Max Verstappen amidst a controversial finish. Following winless campaigns in 2022 and 2023, Hamilton took his record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory in 2024. After 12 seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton will join Ferrari from 2025 onwards. Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One's global following by appealing to a broader audience outside the sport, in part due to his high-profile lifestyle, amongst his environmental and social activism. He has also become a prominent advocate in support of racial justice and increased diversity in motorsport. Hamilton was listed in the 2020 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people globally, and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours.