Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton ( yield 7 January 1985 ) is a british race driver. He presently competes in Formula One for Mercedes, having previously driven for McLaren from 2007 to 2012. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers ‘ Championship titles ( tied with Michael Schumacher ), and holds the records for the most wins ( 103 ), pole positions ( 103 ), and dais finishes ( 182 ), among others. Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver plan in 1998. This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren in 2007, making Hamilton the inaugural, and indeed far only, black driver to race in the series. That season, Hamilton set numerous records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. The take after temper, he won his maid title in dramatic fashion—making a crucial pass on the last lap of the concluding race of the temper —to become the then-youngest Formula One World Champion in history. After four more years with McLaren, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013.
Reading: Lewis Hamilton
Changes to the regulations for 2014 mandating the practice of turbo-hybrid engines saw the starting signal of a highly successful period for Hamilton, during which he has won six far drivers ‘ titles. straight titles came in 2014 and 2015 during an acute competition with teammate Nico Rosberg. Following Rosberg ‘s retirement, Ferrari ‘s Sebastian Vettel became Hamilton ‘s closest equal in two acute backing battles, in which Hamilton doubly overturned mid-season point deficits to claim back-to-back titles again in 2017 and 2018. His third base and one-fourth consecutive titles followed in 2019 and 2020 to equal Schumacher ‘s record of seven drivers ‘ titles. Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One ‘s global follow by appealing to a broader hearing outside the sport, in character due to his high-profile life style, environmental and social activism, and exploits in music and fashion. He has besides become a big advocate in support of activism to combat racism and push for increase 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 .
early liveliness and education
Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. [ 2 ] His church father, Anthony Hamilton, is black and is of grenadian descent, while his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British, and from Birmingham, [ 8 ] making him mixed-race ; [ 9 ] Hamilton has identified as blacken. [ 10 ] Hamilton ‘s parents separated when he was two, after which he lived with his beget and older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, until he was twelve. [ 11 ] Hamilton then lived with his father, stepmother, Linda, and his stepbrother Nicolas, who is besides a professional race driver. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Hamilton was raised a Catholic. [ 14 ] Hamilton ‘s founder bought him a radio-controlled cable car when he was five. [ 15 ] Hamilton finished moment in the home BRCA championship the follow year against adult competition. [ 16 ] Being the only black child racing at his club, Hamilton was subjected to racist abuse. [ 15 ] [ 17 ] Hamilton ‘s forefather bought him a go-kart for Christmas when he was six and promised to support his racing career equally long as he worked hard at school. [ 18 ] To support his son, Hamilton ‘s beget took redundancy from his put as an IT director and became a contractor, sometimes working up to four jobs at a time including use as a double glaze salesman, dishwasher, and putting up signs for estate of the realm agents, [ 19 ] while however attending his son ‘s races. [ 20 ] Hamilton ‘s father former set up his own IT company. [ 21 ] He continued to be Hamilton ‘s coach until early 2010. [ 22 ] [ 23 ] Hamilton was educated at The John Henry Newman School, a voluntary help Catholic secondary school in Stevenage. [ 24 ] At the age of five, Hamilton took up karate to defend himself as a result of bullying at school. [ 25 ] He was besides excluded from school for a period when he was mistakenly identified as having attacked a fellow scholar who was treated in hospital for their injuries. [ 26 ] In addition to rush, he played association football for his school team with eventual England international, Ashley Young. [ 21 ] Hamilton, an Arsenal fan, said that if Formula One had not worked for him, he would have been a football player or a cricketer, having played both for his school teams. [ 27 ] In February 2001, he began studies at Cambridge Arts and Sciences ( CATS ), a individual sixth-form college in Cambridge. [ 28 ]
Junior racing career
Karting
Hamilton began karting in 1993 and promptly began winning races and cadet class championships. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] Two years later, he became the youngest driver to win the british cadet karting backing at the age of ten-spot. That year, Hamilton approached McLaren Formula One team bos Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards for an autograph and said : “ Hi. I ‘m lewis Hamilton. I won the british Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars. ” [ 19 ] Dennis wrote in Hamilton ‘s autograph book : “ Phone me in nine years, we ‘ll sort something out then. ” [ 31 ] When Hamilton was 12, Ladbrokes took a bet, at 40/1 odds, that Hamilton would win a Formula One race before the age of 23 ; another predicted, at 150/1 odds, that he would win the World Drivers ‘ championship before he was 25. [ 32 ] In 1998, Dennis called Hamilton following his irregular Super One series and british championship wins, [ 16 ] to offer Hamilton a character in the McLaren driver development program. [ 9 ] The compress included an option of a future Formula One seat, which would make Hamilton the youngest driver to secure a condense that late resulted in a Formula One drive. [ 29 ]
He ‘s a quality driver, identical strong and only 16. If he keeps this up I ‘m certain he will reach F1. It ‘s something special to see a kid of his old age out on the lap. He ‘s clearly got the proper rush brain .
— Michael Schumacher, speaking about Hamilton in 2001 [ 33 ]
Hamilton continued his progress in the Intercontinental A ( 1999 ), Formula A ( 2000 ) and Formula Super A ( 2001 ) ranks, and became european Champion in 2000 with utmost points. In Formula A and Formula Super A, racing for TeamMBM.com, his teammate was Nico Rosberg, who would late drive for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One ; they would former team up again for Mercedes from 2013 to 2016. Following his karting successes, the british Racing Drivers ‘ Club made him a “ Rising Star ” Member in 2000. [ 34 ] In 2001, Michael Schumacher made a one-off hark back to karts and competed against Hamilton along with other future Formula One drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton ended the final in one-seventh, four places behind Schumacher. Although the two saw little of each early on the chase, Schumacher praised the young Briton. [ 35 ]
Formula Renault and Formula Three
Hamilton began his car racing career in the 2001 british Formula Renault Winter Series, finishing one-fifth in the standings. [ 16 ] This led to a entire 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport in which he finished one-third overall. [ 36 ] He remained with Manor for another year, winning the backing ahead of Alex Lloyd. [ 37 ] Having clinched the championship, Hamilton missed the last two races of the season to make his debut in the season stopping point of the british Formula 3 Championship. [ 38 ] In his first raceway he was forced out with a puncture, [ 39 ] and in the second he crashed out and was taken to hospital after a collision with teammate Tor Graves. [ 40 ] Asked in 2002 about the candidate of becoming one of the youngest always Formula One drivers, Hamilton replied that his goal was “ not to be the youngest in Formula One ” but quite “ to be experienced and then show what I can do in Formula One ”. [ 41 ] He made his debut with Manor in the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series, ending the year fifth in the championship. [ 42 ] He besides won the Bahrain F3 Superprix [ 43 ] and doubly raced in the Macau F3 Grand Prix. [ 44 ] [ 45 ] Williams had come close to signing Hamilton but did not because BMW, their engine supplier at the time, would not fund him. [ 46 ] Hamilton finally re-signed with McLaren. According to then McLaren executive and future CEO Martin Whitmarsh, who was creditworthy for guiding Hamilton through the team ‘s young driver program, he and Anthony Hamilton had a “ huge row ” at the end of the season, with Lewis ‘ forefather pushing for him to move up to GP2 for 2005, while Whitmarsh felt that he should remain in F3 for a second season, culminating in Whitmarsh tearing up Lewis ‘ contract ; however, Lewis called Whitmarsh six weeks former and re-signed with the team. [ 19 ] Hamilton foremost tested for McLaren in former 2004 at Silverstone. [ 47 ] Hamilton moved to the reigning Euro Series champions ASM for the 2005 temper and dominated the championship, winning 15 of the 20 rounds. [ 16 ] He besides won the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort. [ 48 ] After the season British cartridge holder Autosport featured him in their “ peak 50 Drivers of 2005 ” offspring, ranking Hamilton 24th. [ 49 ]
GP2
Hamilton moved to ASM ‘s sister GP2 team, ART Grand Prix, for the 2006 season. [ 50 ] Hamilton won the GP2 backing at his first base attempt, beating Nelson Piquet Jr. and Timo Glock. [ 51 ] He secured a dominant win at the Nürburgring, despite a penalty for speeding in the scar lane. [ 52 ] At his home race at Silverstone, Hamilton overtook two rivals at Becketts, a series of high-speed bends where overtaking is rare. [ 53 ] In Istanbul he recovered from a spin that left him in eighteenth position to take second. [ 54 ] Hamilton won the title in strange circumstances, inheriting the final point he needed after Giorgio Pantano was stripped of fastest lap in the Monza have race. [ 55 ] Hamilton ‘s success in the GP2 championship coincided with a vacancy at McLaren following the passing of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari. [ 56 ] [ 57 ] After months of meditation on whether Hamilton, Pedro de la Rosa or Gary Paffett would be paired with defending champion Fernando Alonso for 2007, Hamilton was confirmed as the team ‘s second driver. [ 58 ] He was told of McLaren ‘s decisiveness at the goal of September, but the news was not made public for about two months, for fear that it would be overshadowed by Michael Schumacher ‘s retirement announcement. [ 59 ]
Formula One career
McLaren ( 2007–2012 )
Hamilton took his inaugural Formula One acquire at the 2007 canadian Grand Prix in alone his one-sixth Grand Prix. Hamilton ‘s first season in Formula One saw him collaborator two-time and defending World Champion Fernando Alonso. Hamilton is the foremost and, as of 2021, the only black driver to rush in the series. [ 60 ] [ 61 ] [ 62 ] After finishing on the dais in his introduction, Hamilton went on to set several records as he finished runner-up in the 2007 World Drivers ‘ Championship to Kimi Räikkönen by one target, including those for the most consecutive dais finishes from introduction ( 9 ), the joint most wins in a debut season ( 4 ) and the most points in a debut season ( 109 ). Throughout the season, Hamilton and Alonso were involved in a count of incidents which resulted in tensions between both drivers and the team, culminating in Alonso and McLaren terminating their contract by reciprocal accept in November. Following a successful first temper at McLaren, Hamilton signed a multi-million-pound contract to stay with the team until 2012. [ 63 ]
Hamilton and his team celebrate his maiden over Formula One World Championship style in 2008. Hamilton ‘s success continued in 2008. He amassed five victories and ten dais finishes but was besides accused of arrogance and dangerous drive, though he argued that his self-belief was incorrectly interpreted and that his drive was firm but fair. As the season reached its conclusion in Brazil, it became a clear bipartite crusade for the entitle between the home darling Felipe Massa and the young Briton. Hamilton won his first style in dramatic fashion in the last subspecies of the season, the 2008 brazilian Grand Prix, overtaking Timo Glock for fifth position in the final corners of the last lap to become the then-youngest Formula One World Champion in history and to deny race-winner Massa the title by one point. [ 64 ] [ 65 ] This made Hamilton the first british driver to win the World Championship since Damon Hill in 1996. [ 66 ] In his last four years with McLaren, Hamilton continued to score dais finishes and race victories. Hamilton entered the final rung of the 2010 season with a chance of winning the title, but ultimately finished fourth as Sebastian Vettel won the race to take his maiden over drivers ‘ pate. The follow year was the first season he had been out-scored by a teammate, as Jenson Button finished runner-up to champion Sebastian Vettel, during a class in which distractions in his secret life and run-ins with FIA officials saw Hamilton finish a humble one-fifth in the standings, after which he vowed he would return to form for 2012. Keeping to his password, Hamilton achieved four race-wins in the 2012 temper as he finished fourth in the standings. Before the end of the year, Hamilton announced, to much surprise, that he would be joining Mercedes for the 2013 season, replacing the retiring Michael Schumacher. [ 67 ]
Mercedes ( 2013–present )
Teammates with Rosberg
Hamilton and Rosberg endured a tense competition in their clock time as teammates. Upon signing with Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton was reunited with his childhood karting teammate, Nico Rosberg. The move was met with surprise by pundits and the public, with some describing the motivate to Mercedes, a team with no holocene history of achiever, as a gamble. [ 68 ] [ 69 ] In his first base season with the Silver Arrows, Hamilton secured a exclusive race victory, winning the hungarian Grand Prix, where he converted an unexpected punt position into a winning margin of over 11 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kimi Räikkönen, [ 70 ] alongside a number of dais finishes and pole positions, finishing one-fourth in the standings once again, the one-third time in five years. [ 67 ] Changes to regulations for the 2014 season, which mandated the use of turbo-hybrid engines, contributed to the start of a highly successful era for Hamilton. That year saw Mercedes win 16 of the 19 races that season, 11 of those secured by Hamilton as he prevailed in a season-long duel for the title against teammate Rosberg. Clinching his second drivers ‘ claim, and eclipsing the victory reckoning of all british drivers before him, Hamilton declared over team-radio after the final race in Abu Dhabi : “ This is the greatest day of my life. ” [ 67 ] New driver count regulations brought in for 2014 allowed drivers to pick a alone car number to use for their entire career, and sol Hamilton elected to drive under his old karting No. 44 for the remainder of his career. [ 71 ] Before the start of the 2015 season, Hamilton announced he would not be exercising his choice of switching his car total to 1, as was his prerogative as reigning World Champion, and would rather continue to race with his career No. 44. It was the first season since 1994, when Alain Prost retired from the sport following his fourth and final World Drivers ‘ Championship title in 1993, that the field did not contain a car bearing the No. 1. [ 72 ] Hamilton dominated the 2015 temper, winning ten races finishing on the dais a record seventeen times as he matched his hero Ayrton Senna ‘s three World Championships titles. The competition between him and Rosberg intensified, climaxing in a heat struggle at the US Grand Prix where Hamilton won in an action-packed, wheel-to-wheel battle with his teammate to clinch the style with three races to spare. [ 67 ] That year, Hamilton extended his contract with Mercedes for three extra years in a distribute reportedly worth more than £100 million, making him one of the best-paid drivers in Formula One, [ 73 ] [ 74 ] arsenic well as allowing Hamilton to retain his own double rights, which is considered unusual in the sport, and keep his championship-winning cars and trophies. [ 75 ]
Hamilton ‘s locomotive failure in Malaysia in 2016 was a key moment in the Drivers ‘ Championship fight. Despite recording more terminal positions and race wins than any other driver in 2016, Hamilton lost the drivers ‘ title by five points to his teammate, Rosberg. The team ‘s policy of letting the couple battle freely led to several acrimonious exchanges both on and off the track, culminating in Hamilton defying team-orders at the season finale in Abu Dhabi and measuredly slowing to back Rosberg into the chasing pack at the end of the race in an abortive offer to encourage other drivers to overtake his teammate, which would have allowed him to win the entitle. [ 76 ] ultimately, a sequence of poor people starts from Hamilton early on in the season and a crucial engine blowout in Malaysia mean Rosberg took the title, which he successfully secured before announcing his shock absorber retirement from the sport immediately after beating his rival. [ 67 ] [ 77 ]
Four titles in a row
Following Rosberg ‘s retirement, Ferrari ‘s Sebastian Vettel became Hamilton ‘s closest equal as the pair exchanged the championship lead throughout 2017 in a tense title battle. Hamilton registered 11 pole positions that season as he took the read for the all-time most pole positions, and his consistency ( finishing every slipstream in the points ), deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as a lack of a unplayful challenge from his newly teammate Valtteri Bottas, saw him record nine race victories and secure his one-fourth World Drivers ‘ title as he overturned a points deficit to Vettel in the first half of the season, ultimately wrapping the deed up in Mexico with two races to spare. [ 67 ]
The 2018 season was the first gear time in the sport that two four-time World Champions ( Hamilton and Vettel ) competed for a fifth entitle. The 2018 temper was the beginning time that two four-time World Champions, Hamilton and Vettel, would be competing for a fifth championship and was billed as the “ Fight for Five ” by journalists and fans. [ 78 ] [ 79 ] [ 80 ] As with the season before, Ferrari and Vettel appeared to have the amphetamine hand for much of the season, topping the standings until the half-way point. however, Vettel ‘s temper unravelled with a number of driver and mechanical errors, while Hamilton ‘s run of six wins in seven in the latter half of the season saw Hamilton clinch the title in Mexico for a second base class running as he set a new record for the most points scored in a temper ( 408 ). [ 67 ] [ 77 ] During the season, Hamilton signed a biennial contract with Mercedes, reported to be worth improving to £40 million per class, making him the best-paid Formula One driver in history. [ 81 ] Having signed a contract with Mercedes that lasted until 2020, it was confirmed Hamilton would defend his title in 2019. [ 82 ] Hamilton led the drivers ‘ standings for the majority of the season, fending off title challenges from team-mate Bottas, the Honda-powered Red Bull of Verstappen and Ferrari ‘s recently promoted Leclerc, to clinch his sixth drivers ‘ pennant at the 2019 United States Grand Prix with two races remaining. [ 83 ] [ 84 ] After scoring his sixth career grand slam in the final race of the temper, Hamilton ended the temper with 11 wins ( matching his previous best in 2014 and 2018 ) and 17 podiums ( matching the all-time phonograph record for a fourth clock time ) equally well as achieving 5 pole positions. [ 85 ] His total of 413 points for the season was a new all-time record, seeing the Briton finish 87 points clear of second-placed Bottas. [ 86 ] Hamilton won his seventh drivers ‘ title in 2020, equalling the record set by Schumacher, in a season heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. [ 87 ] [ 88 ] Over the abbreviated seventeen-race season, Hamilton took 11 wins ( equalling his previous personal best, but in fewer races ) including one in Portugal to break Schumacher ‘s record of 91 wins. [ 89 ] He besides took 14 podiums and 10 pole positions. Hamilton missed the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19, [ 90 ] his beginning race absence since his debut in 2007. [ 91 ] Hamilton clinched the style at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix with three rounds to spare and ended the season 124 points clear of his team-mate, Bottas, who finished irregular in the standings. [ 92 ] Amid Formula One ‘s We Race as One campaign and growing global patronize for the Black Lives Matter movement, Hamilton took the knee ahead of every subspecies he entered and wore t-shirts bearing the Black Lives Matter motto. [ 93 ] Hamilton and Bottas ‘ W11 cars besides sported a total darkness livery as a instruction of Mercedes ‘ committedness to diverseness. [ 94 ] In February 2021, Hamilton signed a contract to continue racing for the team in 2021. [ 95 ] At the 2021 spanish Grand Prix in May, Hamilton became the first driver to reach 100 punt positions in Formula One. [ 96 ] In July 2021, Hamilton signed a contract-extension to remain with Mercedes until the end of 2023. [ 97 ] He claimed his hundredth slipstream winnings at the 2021 russian Grand Prix. [ 98 ] He will collaborator George Russell for the 2022 season. [ 99 ]
Driver profile
Driving style
Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid, [ 100 ] excelling across a wide range of areas. [ 101 ] He has been described as having an aggressive drive stylus, [ 102 ] with a natural aptitude for identifying the limits of the cable car ; Mark Hughes, writing for the official Formula One web site, described how Hamilton is “ super-hard on the brakes … but has a antic ability to match how cursorily the downforce is bleeding off with his modulation of the pressure so that there ‘s no waste clasp but no lock wheels either. ” [ 103 ] [ 104 ] Paddy Lowe, previously the engineer director for McLaren, described how Hamilton is comfortable with levels of rear instability that most other drivers would find intolerable. [ 103 ] Hamilton has besides been praised for his ability to adapt to variances in the car set-up and changing lead conditions ; throughout his career, he has typically used less fuel than his teammates as a result of his ability to carry momentum through corners despite instability in the car. [ 105 ] Pedro de la Rosa, a erstwhile examination driver for McLaren who worked with Hamilton and Alonso, rated the copulate as the best he had seen beginning hand, stating that they shared a force in terms of “ how much accelerate they can run into the apex [ of a corner ] and calm have a adequate die accelerate ”, highlighting in particular their ability to maintain this travel rapidly when their rear tyres have lost grip during a longer stint. [ 19 ] Hamilton has been praised for his consistency, particularly in his clock at Mercedes. From 2017 to 2018, he finished 33 straight races in point-scoring positions, a run only brought to an end as a result of mechanical issues as opposed to driver error. [ 106 ] [ 107 ] Ross Brawn wrote that “ over the course of [ 2018 ], Hamilton barely put a foundation wrong, winning not only the races he should have, but besides some where the opposition was stronger, and that is the genuine commemorate of a ace. ” [ 108 ] Ahead of the 2021 season, Martin Brundle, commentating for Sky Sports, said “ I think what has stood out about Lewis over the years is how few mistakes he makes, how dispatch he is and clean … he barely never makes a error [ in ] wheel-to-wheel battle [ or ] in qualifying … He merely does n’t fade, mentally or physically. ” [ 109 ]
Hamilton is regarded as one of the best wet-weather drivers in the mutant, with some of his best performances occurring in those conditions. In the 2008 british Grand Prix, Hamilton bested second-place Nick Heidfeld by over a minute, the largest margin of victory recorded since the 1995 australian Grand Prix. [ 110 ] [ 111 ] During the turbo-hybrid era, Hamilton remained unbeaten in every subspecies affected by besotted weather from the 2014 japanese Grand Prix up to the 2019 german Grand Prix, where his about five-year streak was broken by Max Verstappen. [ 112 ] His wet weather drive at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix where he clinched his seventh world title was widely acclaimed, with Joe Saward describing it as “ one of his greatest performances ” : [ 113 ] despite lone qualifying sixth for the slipstream after Mercedes struggled with tire temperatures and a track that lacked grip after being recently resurfaced, during the race he gambled on a one-stop strategy in interracial conditions whilst his rivals chose to change their tyres for a second clock time, enabling him to take the contribute and succeed by over 30 seconds. His performance was contrasted with that of his team-mate Bottas, who spun four times and finished a lap toss off in 14th rate. [ 114 ] [ 113 ] [ 115 ] [ 116 ] [ 117 ] Hamilton cited the race as his “ stand-out ” performance of the season. [ 114 ]
Hamilton is the most successful british driver in Formula One history, and has won the british Grand Prix a record eight times. Ayrton Senna was a major charm on Hamilton ‘s drive style, recall : “ I think it ‘s partially because I watched [ him ] when I was young and I thought ‘this is how I want to drive when I get the opportunity ‘ and I went out there and tried it on the kart traverse. My whole set about to race has developed from there. ” [ 118 ] He has been compared to Senna in raw rush. [ 119 ] In 2010, Hamilton drove Senna ‘s original title-winning McLaren MP4/4 as separate of a tribute objective by the BBC drive usher Top Gear. In the objective, along with mate racing drivers, he named Senna as the total one driver ever. [ 120 ] [ 121 ] Earlier in his career, Hamilton was criticised for being hot-headed at times, as demonstrated when he was disqualified in Imola in the GP2 Series for overtaking the condom car, something he went on to repeat four years later in Formula One at the 2010 european Grand Prix in Valencia. [ 122 ] Following his move to Mercedes, Hamilton was credited with demonstrating greater maturity, while maintaining his pitilessness and aggression. The official Formula One web site describes him as “ constantly a cutthroat but fairly champion ”. [ 67 ]
reception
As a driver he is absolutely outstanding – vitamin a good as there ‘s ever been. apart from the talent, he ‘s a well ridicule, he gets out on the street and supports and promotes Formula One. He is box function, 100 per penny .
— Bernie Ecclestone, address of Hamilton in 2015 [ 123 ]
Hamilton has been described as the best driver of his coevals, [ 124 ] [ 125 ] [ 113 ] and one of the greatest Formula One drivers. [ 126 ] [ 127 ] [ 128 ] [ 129 ] [ 130 ] respective Formula One drivers and experts have described Hamilton as the greatest Formula One driver of all time. [ note 2 ] Jim Holden write in Autocar suggests Hamilton might not alone be among the greatest british drivers in Formula One, but one of the greatest british sportsmen. [ 139 ] Despite receiving plaudits from experts and fans in and out of the fun, Hamilton has been a dissentious number in the eyes of the general populace, with some journalists arguing his exploits on the track have been under-appreciated. [ 140 ] [ 141 ] Holden has suggested that racial bias may have contributed towards Hamilton ‘s perceived lack of popularity proportional to his achievements, with Hamilton ‘s race and physical appearance – being mixed-race and frequently seen sporting earrings, dreadlocks and graphic designer dress – alienating some of the sport ‘s traditional white, aged male fanbase. [ 139 ] Others have attributed his lack of appreciation to the sensed predictability of results during the turbo-hybrid era, likening his period of dominance to that of Schumacher in the early 2000s, and to tennis players Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova, all of whom became more appreciated in the latter part of their careers. [ 142 ] [ 139 ]
What strikes me now about him now is his adulthood … [ Hamilton ] recognises he is a role exemplary and the influence he has and the responsibilities that come with it. He is far broader than strictly a driver in [ Formula One ]. He has opinions about the environment, young people, manner and music. That is part of the greater appeal of Lewis today .
— David Richards, chair of Motorsport UK, public speaking of Hamilton in 2019 [ 143 ]
Hamilton ‘s jet-set life style and interests outside Formula One have been scrutinised. [ 144 ] He has been praised for disregarding convention and public opinion and has been described as one of the last ace drivers. [ 145 ] [ 142 ] Between race weekends Hamilton has on several occasions travelled around the world to explore a variety of interests, such as in 2018 where, after winning the italian Grand Prix, Hamilton flew to Shanghai and New York where he released his own interior designer clothe line with Tommy Hilfiger, before flying immediately back to, and succeed, the next race in Singapore. [ 145 ] Toto Wolff has been vocal in his support for Hamilton ‘s off-track pursuits, explaining how freedom allows Hamilton to function at his best. [ 140 ] Figures in the frolic such as Emerson Fittipaldi and Christian Horner have voiced their support for Hamilton ‘s ability to connect with fans, while Bernie Ecclestone frequently commented on his admiration of Hamilton ‘s ability to promote the sport, noting how he is felicitous to engage with fans, unlike some of his peers. [ 144 ] Since Hamilton ‘s cub season in 2007, Formula One ‘s annual global gross rose by 53 %, to $ 1.83 billion as of 31 July 2016. [ 124 ] Sports journalist for The Telegraph, Luke Slater, goes arsenic far as to argue that “ [ thymine ] here have been few better representatives of the sport than Hamilton … [ both ] on and off the racetrack. ” [ 146 ] Following Hamilton ‘s knighthood in 2020, [ 147 ] newly appointed Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali said that Hamilton “ is a true giant of our mutant ” and that “ his determine is huge both in and out of a car. ” [ 148 ]
He was able to win with a dominant cable car, with a good car like 2010 or 2012, or with bad cars like 2009 and 2011. not all the champions can say that .
— Fernando Alonso, speak of Hamilton in 2017 [ 149 ]
A portentous endowment as a adolescent, Hamilton established himself as one of the universe ‘s best drivers following his record-breaking cub year. Paddy Lowe has suggested that “ he turned out to be the best cub there has ever been ” and that “ his foremost half-season is just the most extraordinary in history. ” [ 19 ] After his foremost world title a year late, many people considered Hamilton the best driver of his coevals. [ 150 ] Following Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel ‘s four-year dominance of the sport, Hamilton ‘s resolve was tested both professionally and personally as he did not finish higher than fourth in the Drivers ‘ championship from 2009 to 2013, leading some to question his condition as the best driver in the sport. [ 151 ] In hurt of this, Hamilton ‘s less successful years with McLaren have besides been cited as a presentation of driving ability as Hamilton has won at least one subspecies in fifteen back-to-back seasons, [ 127 ] attracting gamey praise from experts and colleague drivers for extracting race-winning performances from cars that were not prevailing. [ 149 ] [ 152 ]
After Hamilton clinched his second and third World Championship titles with Mercedes in 2014 and 2015, David Coulthard declared Hamilton the best driver of his generation, calling him “ the Ayrton Senna of his era ”, [ 125 ] an impression which was wide accepted among the populace, experts, and mate and erstwhile drivers. [ 124 ] As Hamilton became more widely considered the best driver of his era, populace and adept debate moved from his condition in modern Formula One to his condition among the greatest drivers in history. [ 151 ] The adjacent few seasons saw Hamilton eclipse a number of records, including achieving the most all-time punt positions ahead of Michael Schumacher, leading him to be regarded by some as the greatest modifier in history. [ 153 ] [ 154 ] After winning his one-fourth and one-fifth universe titles, Hamilton ‘s place among the greats of the sport became securely established in the opinions of experts, rivals and teammates alike, [ 155 ] [ 127 ] [ 149 ] [ 156 ] [ 157 ] [ 126 ] [ 158 ] [ 159 ] [ 160 ] [ 161 ] with some journalists and pundits considering the possibility of Hamilton being the greatest Formula One driver of all time. [ 162 ] [ 163 ] Following Hamilton clinching a sixth World Drivers ‘ Championship claim in 2019, ex-Formula One driver and initiate Johnny Herbert acclaimed Hamilton as the greatest driver ever, [ 133 ] a sentiment repeat by his Mercedes team-boss Toto Wolff, who described him as “ possibly the best driver that has ever existed ”, [ 140 ] while Formula One staff writer, Greg Stuart, described Hamilton as “ arguably the most complete Formula [ One ] driver always ”. [ 100 ] After Hamilton won his one-seventh title in 2020, John Watson stated that Hamilton “ is, by a million miles, the greatest driver of his generation and you can argue he will go on to be the greatest Formula One driver of all time ”, and highlighted his fearlessness as being winder to his success, as evidenced by his performance against double universe champion team-mate Alonso in his cub season and his decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes. [ 136 ] Herbert compared Hamilton to tennis player Roger Federer and golfer Tiger Woods. [ 164 ]
helmet
Hamilton ‘s 2007 helmet From a young age, Hamilton ‘s helmet throughout his karting years was predominantly yellow with amobarbital sodium, green and bolshevik ribbons. In late years a white ring was added and the ribbons were moved forth to make room for logo and ad space. [ 165 ] Hamilton continued to run a predominantly yellow design for the early phase of his Formula One career, but in 2014 decided to change to a largely blank set about. [ 166 ] In 2017, Hamilton selected his helmet design from fan submissions. [ 167 ] The winning design used a white and chicken base color with red and orange details, and the addition of three stars, one for each of Hamilton ‘s three Formula One championship at that time, on either side. [ 168 ] Over the follow seasons, Hamilton continued to add more stars to his helmet on winning far World Championship titles. [ 169 ]
Hamilton ‘s helmet in 2013 Hamilton has worn particularly designed one-off helmets for several weekends throughout his career. At the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, he sported an change helmet invention with the addition of a roulette rack persona on the top. [ 170 ] At the 2015 malaysian Grand Prix, Hamilton brought with him a strike blue-and-green design in award of team patron Petronas but was prevented from using the helmet by the FIA. [ 166 ] Hamilton has sported gold coloured helmets three times in his career. After winning his one-fourth deed in 2017, he entered 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a gold helmet with four stars adorning the top of the helmet with the words World Champion. [ 171 ] Hamilton wore a amber helmet at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after sealing his fifth earth title, towards which he made reference point with five stars on either side of the design, [ 169 ] and did so again at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, this time with six stars following his sixth World Championship entitle. [ 172 ] Hamilton has besides used one-off helmet designs to pay tribute to influential figures in his career. At the 2011 brazilian Grand Prix, he wore a particular helmet in protection to Ayrton Senna which was auctioned after the rush in aid of the Ayrton Senna Foundation. [ 173 ] At the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton, like boyfriend driver Sebastian Vettel, wore a special helmet to pay tribute to Niki Lauda, who died at the start of the week. The helmet was painted crimson and white, Lauda ‘s classical coloring material, and had his name printed on the back. After the raceway, Hamilton reflected on Lauda ‘s career, saying : “ ultimately, as a driver, my goal one day is to hopefully be a respected as he was … He ‘s decidedly person who led by a great example, left a great model, and was a real hero to so many. ” [ 174 ] Hamilton again wore a especial helmet to pay tribute to Ayrton Senna at the 2019 brazilian Grand Prix. [ 175 ] Hamilton wore a rainbow helmet at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix in subscribe of the LGBTQ+ community. [ 176 ]
Rivalries
Fernando Alonso
Hamilton ‘s debut season saw him spouse two-time and defending World Champion Fernando Alonso. In their clock as teammates, tensions arose between the two drivers and McLaren as a resultant role of several incidents. The beginning tensions surfaced after Hamilton finished second behind Alonso at Monaco in 2007. [ 177 ] After post-race comments made by Hamilton which suggested he had been forced into a confirm function, the FIA investigated whether McLaren had broken rules by enforcing team orders. [ 178 ] McLaren denied favouring Alonso, and the FIA subsequently vindicated the team, stating that “ McLaren were able to pursue an optimum team strategy because they had a substantial advantage over all other cars … nothing which could be described as interfering with the race result. ” [ 178 ] Tensions surfaced again at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, where during the concluding qualify seance Hamilton went out on track ahead of Alonso and ignored requests from the team to let him through : the two drivers had been taking turns on a race-by-race basis to lead during stipulate, which gave the leading driver an boundary due to the fuel lode regulations then in place, and Alonso was ascribable to lead in Hungary. [ 19 ] Hamilton was then delayed in the pits by Alonso and thus unable to set a concluding lap time before the end of the seance. [ 179 ] Alonso was relegated to sixth rate on the starting power system therefore promoting Hamilton, who had qualified moment, to first, while McLaren was docked Constructors ‘ Championship points. Hamilton said he thought the penalty was “ quite light if anything ” and only regretted the loss of points. [ 180 ] Hamilton was reported to have sworn at Dennis on the team radio following the incident. [ 181 ] british motorsport diary Autosport claimed that this “ [ led ] Dennis to throw his headphones on the orchestra pit wall in disgust : a gesture that was misinterpreted by many to be in reaction to Alonso ‘s pole ” ; [ 182 ] however, McLaren later issued a statement on behalf of Hamilton that denied the use of any profanity. [ 183 ] As a solution of the events over the 2007 season, the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso reportedly collapsed, with the copulate not on talk terms for a abruptly period. [ 184 ] [ 185 ] In the consequence it was reported that Hamilton had been targeted by Luca di Montezemolo regarding a Ferrari drive for 2008. [ 186 ] The competition between the match led to speculation that either Hamilton or Alonso would leave McLaren at the end of the season ; [ 187 ] [ 188 ] [ 189 ] Alonso and McLaren terminated their contract by common consent in November that class, ending his and Hamilton ‘s time as teammates. [ 190 ] In subsequent years, tensions between the copulate dissipated, and the reciprocal respect has grown, [ 191 ] with Alonso praising Hamilton in 2017 saying “ [ Hamilton ] was able to win with a dominant allele car, with a beneficial car like 2010 or 2012, or with bad cars like 2009 and 2011. not all the champions can say that. ” [ 149 ] Alonso later described Hamilton as one of the circus tent five greatest drivers of all time. [ 126 ] On the cool-down lap after Alonso ‘s final rush before his biennial hiatus in 2018, Hamilton joined Sebastian Vettel in paying tribute to Alonso by driving, each on one side, in a geological formation to the start-finish neat where all three executed donuts. [ 192 ] In their time together as teammates, Hamilton and Alonso won 8 of 17 races in the 2007 Formula One season. Hamilton had 4 victories, 12 dais finishes and certified ahead of Alonso 10 times. Alonso besides had 4 victories, 12 dais finishes but qualified ahead of Hamilton only 7 times. At the goal of their season as teammates, the pair were tied on 109 points, with Hamilton placing second and Alonso third in the World Drivers ‘ backing by virtue of Hamilton having more second-place finishes. [ 193 ]
Nico Rosberg
When Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, he was paired aboard honest-to-god karting teammate and supporter Nico Rosberg. Over their four seasons as teammates, a time period of Mercedes authority in Formula One, the couple ‘s relationship became puree and, at times, led to explosive confrontations on and off the cut. [ 194 ] Hamilton and Rosberg were first teammates in 2000, when they were in karting. They raced for Mercedes Benz McLaren in Formula A, where Hamilton became european supporter, with Rosberg not army for the liberation of rwanda behind. Robert Kubica, who raced with them before Formula One, recalled how they were competitive both on and off the track, saying that “ they would even have races to eat pizza, always eating two at a time. ” [ 195 ] Sports diarist Paul Weaver contrasts their upbringings ; [ 195 ] Rosberg, an only child, was born in Germany but brought up in Monaco and was the son of a affluent former Formula One earth champion, Keke Rosberg, whereas Hamilton was born on a council estate of the realm in Stevenage, and his founder had to work multiple jobs to fund his son ‘s junior race. [ 21 ]
Read more: France national football team
initiate and commentator Will Buxton compared the character and driving styles of the pair, labelling Hamilton as the firm driver with more natural ability but with an intellectual to match Rosberg ‘s. [ 122 ] Buxton wrote :
man to man against Rosberg, I ca n’t recall a one race this year where in the same machinery Hamilton ‘s fuel usage has been high. He has made his tires last. He has had to fight from the back of the field time and again ( think Germany, think Hungary ) and yet he has n’t overworked his tires, he has n’t used besides much fuel. He has learned how to drive these new cars, and to extract the most from them using the least … far from the unintelligent casual many paint Hamilton to be, he is proving to be the intellectual match of his teammate and, the better racer to boot. [ 122 ]
Their honest-to-god karting party boss, Dino Chiesa, said Hamilton was the fast driver whereas Rosberg, who once said to Chiesa “ everything relates to physics and maths ”, was always more analytic. [ 21 ] This led some to believe that Rosberg would achieve greater success in Formula One, the highest level of open-wheel race, due to the cerebral capacity required to manage brakes, energy reap, sur management and moderate fuel use. [ 122 ] however, Hamilton ‘s tire management has frequently allowed him to push on for longer, much enabling optimum raceway strategies, and his fuel custom has regularly been better than about anyone on the grid. Sky Sport ‘s Mark Hughes, commented : “ Rosberg has a more scientific methodology, looks to fine-tune more specifically than Hamilton who typically tends just to find a libra he can work with, then adapt his driving around it. ” [ 101 ] [ 196 ] In their time together as teammates, Hamilton and Rosberg won 54 of 78 races over four seasons. Hamilton had 32 victories, 55 dais finishes and stipulate ahead of Rosberg 42 times. Rosberg had 22 victories, 50 dais finishes and stipulate ahead of Hamilton 36 times. During this period, Hamilton won two World Championship titles to Rosberg ‘s one, and scored more points in three out of their four seasons together. [ 197 ]
Sebastian Vettel
Hamilton describes his competition with Sebastian Vettel as his darling, believing their battles helped bring them closer together. [ 198 ] After three years of Mercedes ‘ authority from 2014 to 2016, Ferrari produced a car that was able of fighting for the championship in 2017 and 2018. [ 199 ] [ 200 ] [ 201 ] Vettel, who was then driving for Ferrari, enjoyed an early lead on points, but Mercedes and Hamilton fought back and ultimately won the championships in both seasons. While there were some on-track dart points, most notably the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when Vettel accused Hamilton of brake check and drove into Hamilton in retaliation, earning a punishment, [ 202 ] the pair developed a strong reciprocal regard in a hard but reasonably contested fight. [ 203 ] [ 204 ] [ 205 ] In 2021, Hamilton recalled :
Mine and Seb ‘s battle were my favourite thus far. It ‘s knowing I was racing against an incredible driver, not only that but a bang-up man in Seb who is a four-time worldly concern champion and we were racing against another team, he was at Ferrari who were very strong at the time. It took a distribute out of both of us in that menstruation of time, to remain concenter to deliver weekend in, weekend out. That was a difficult period for us and it brought us closer, because the respect we have between us is huge. [ 206 ]
Public prototype and charm
racist discussion
The first and, as of 2021, the only black driver to race in Formula One, Hamilton has been subject to racist abuse throughout his career. In 2007, Hamilton suffered racist abuse from spanish Formula One supporters at the chinese Grand Prix. [ 207 ] In 2008, Hamilton was heckled and differently abused during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya by respective spanish spectators who wore black face paint and black wigs, a well as shirts bearing the words “ Hamilton ‘s familly [ sic ] ”. [ 208 ] The FIA warned spanish authorities about the repeat of such behaviour, [ 209 ] and launched a “ Race Against Racism ” campaign. [ 210 ] concisely before the 2008 brazilian Grand Prix, a web site owned by the spanish outgrowth of the New York-based advertising agency TBWA and named pinchalaruedadeHamilton, which translates into English as “ burst Hamilton ‘s sur ”, was featured in the british media. The site contained an image of Interlagos that allowed users to leave nails and porcupines on the track for Hamilton ‘s car to run over. Among thousands of comments left since 2007, some included racial insults. [ 211 ] In 2021, Hamilton was subjected to online racist abuse following a dramatic acquire at the british Grand Prix. Mercedes, Formula One and the FIA, issued a joint statement condemning the maltreatment and called for those responsible to be held accountable. [ 212 ] Hamilton ‘s discussion by the media and critics has, at times, been criticised as being racist. In 2014, The Guardian diarist Joseph Harker highlighted double-standards in Hamilton ‘s treatment compared to other british drivers by british newspapers, suggesting that his skin color has played a factor in a sensed lack of acceptance among the british public. [ 213 ] In 2019, football player Rio Ferdinand described media scrutiny of Hamilton as having “ racist undertones ” and contrasted Hamilton ‘s discussion to that of fellow british driver Jenson Button. [ 214 ] At the start of his Formula One career, Hamilton said that he “ tried to ignore the fact [ he ] was the first black guy ever to race in the sport ” but late stated that he had since grown to “ appreciate the implications ”, [ 215 ] and changed his approach to promote equality within the fun. [ 216 ] In 2019, Toto Wolff, Hamilton ‘s team boss at Mercedes, described how Hamilton was “ scarred for life ” by racist abuse inflicted during his childhood. [ 217 ]
activism and philanthropy
diversity and anti-racism
People come up to me from different cultural backgrounds saying, “ My child wants to be you one sidereal day ”, and I can assure you that when I started racing, there were n’t people from those [ ethnic backgrounds ]. I take great pride in that .
—Hamilton in 2017 commenting on his influence on minority representation in Formula One [ 218 ]
Hamilton is a outstanding advocate against racism and for increase diversity in motorsport. [ 219 ] [ 220 ] He has questioned racial politics in Formula One on several occasions. In 2011, after being summoned to the stewards in five out of the first six races of the season, Hamilton quipped, “ Maybe it ‘s because I ‘m black, that ‘s what Ali G says. ” [ 221 ] In 2018, Hamilton criticised the miss of diversity in Formula One, describing how nothing had changed in his football team years in the sport before saying : “ Kids, people, there are then many jobs in this mutant of which anybody, no matter your ethnicity or background, can make it and fit in. ” [ 222 ] [ 223 ] Hamilton took the knee before every race he entered in the 2020 Formula One season in confirm of the Black Lives Matter movement and wore t-shirts bearing the Black Lives Matter motto. [ 93 ] Following the mangle of George Floyd while being arrested in May 2020, which sparked national and global protests, [ 224 ] Hamilton criticised outstanding figures in Formula One for their hush on the issue, writing on Instagram :
I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars however you stay dumb in the midst of injustice. not a sign from anybody in my diligence which of course is a white dominate sport. I ‘m one of the only people of color there so far I stand alone. [ … ] I would have thought by immediately you would see why this happens and say something about it but you ca n’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you are and I see you. [ … ] I do not stand with those looting and burning buildings but those who are protesting peacefully. There can be no peace until our so call leaders make change. This is not equitable America, this is the UK, this is Spain, this is Italy and all all over. [ … ] The way minorities are treated has to change, how you educate those in your state of equality, racism, classism and that we are all the lapp. We are not born with racism and hate in our hearts, it is taught by those we look up to. [ 225 ] [ 226 ] [ 227 ] [ 228 ]
Following Hamilton ‘s comments, several drivers released statements about Floyd ‘s murder and voiced their accompaniment for the Black Lives Matter drift, and digest was expressed from other figures in the sport such as Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team knob. [ 229 ] [ 225 ] Ross Brawn, managing director for Formula One, said that the constitution “ supports [ Hamilton ] wholly ”, describing Hamilton as “ a great ambassador for the mutant ”. He acknowledged that Hamilton ‘s comments “ are identical valid ” and that the mutant “ can give greater opportunity for minority and cultural groups to get involved in motorsport ”. Brawn stated that Formula One was working to increase diverseness within the sport, with efforts targeted at increasing driving opportunities at grassroots floor a well as across all roles in Formula One. [ 230 ] During the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix weekend, including on the dais, Hamilton wore a jersey behave “ Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor ” on the front and “ Say her name ” with a photograph of Taylor on the bet on, in reference to the kill of Breonna Taylor. Following an probe, the FIA announced that only slipstream suits done up to the neck can be worn on the dais and that alone official team overdress can be worn in the media pen. [ 231 ] In anticipation of the FIA ‘s decision, Hamilton said that he recognised that they have “ sealed limits that they feel that they have to work within ”, but he “ [ did n’t ] regret a single moment of it ” and cited the “ actually positive support from the fans ”. [ 220 ] In June 2020, it was announced that Hamilton had established The Hamilton Commission with the Royal Academy of Engineering. The perpetration had been in development since December 2019 but publicly launched to coincide with the heightened media and public interest in the Black Lives Matter bowel movement, and greater examination of rush inequality in society. The partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering was established to find ways in which motorsport can engage more youthful people from black backgrounds with skill, technology, mastermind and mathematics subjects and, ultimately, employ them in motorsport or in other engineering sectors. [ 232 ] [ 233 ] In May 2021, Hamilton become the first recipient role of the inaugural Laureus Athlete Advocate of the Year Award for his affair in the fight against racism. [ 234 ] building on the recommendations of the Hamilton Commission, Hamilton launched Mission 44, a charitable basis created to help young people from under-represented backgrounds achieve their ambitions in wide society, in July 2021. Hamilton pledged £20m of his personal wealth to support the work of the charity, including supporting organisations and programmes that narrow the gap in use and education. [ 235 ] Mission 44 will work in junction with a joint charitable foundation between Hamilton and the Mercedes Formula One team, called Ignite, which was besides launched in July 2021. [ 236 ] Ignite focuses on increasing diverseness in motorsport, by improving educational opportunities and offering fiscal support. [ 237 ]
Human rights
In December 2020, Hamilton confronted the Bahrain ‘s human rights abuses and spoke out on the allegations of sportswashing. Hamilton said he “ wo n’t let it go unnoticed ” after an 11-year-old boy, Ahmed Ramadhan, wrote a letter to Hamilton, asking him to save his beget, who was facing the death penalty, after a confession was allegedly extracted through anguish for the death of a policeman. [ 238 ] [ 239 ] Hamilton spoke to human rights organisations and legal experts. He besides spoke with Bahraini officials about the state ‘s homo rights. The F1 champion said that while he had no assurance to choose the placement for his raceway, “ going to these countries and good ignoring what is happening in those places ” is not the right manner. [ 240 ]
environmental and animal rights
Hamilton has repeatedly discussed environmental issues and animal rights at conferences, in interviews and in documentaries. [ 241 ] [ 242 ] He besides uses his social media platforms to gather support for his initiatives, [ 243 ] which range from urging China to reclassify dogs as pets rather of livestock, [ 244 ] and back charities which fight the illegal wildlife barter, [ 245 ] to calling for the protection of the Amazon rain forest. [ 246 ] In January 2020, he donated US $ 500,000 ( approximately £383,000 ) to a variety show of causes relating to the bushfire crisis in Australia. [ 247 ] The money went towards the burn services and animal wellbeing charities. [ 248 ] In 2019, Hamilton asked Mercedes-Benz to swap animal-derived leather in the company ‘s models worldwide : “ I am trying to push for sustainability with my team. I am trying to get more involved in Formula 1 and be more conscious . Mercedes-Benz is a huge administration. I have got a earphone call with the CEO late today to discuss how we can work on getting rid of all the leather supplied to the cars. That is something I want to be involved in. ” [ 249 ] [ 250 ] The adjacent year, he announced his purpose of being carbon neutral by the end of the year, saying : “ I do n’t allow anyone in my office, but besides within my family, to buy any plastics. I want everything reclaimable, polish to deodorant, toss off to toothbrush, all these kinds of things … I ‘m trying to make as much change as I can in my personal space. I sold my flat over a year ago. I fly a bunch less now. I ‘m trying to fly less through the class. ” [ 251 ]
UNICEF and # TOGETHERBAND
In 2012, Hamilton began working with the United Nations Children ‘s Fund ( UNICEF ). In March 2012, Hamilton travelled to the Philippines where he made a short-circuit film about Manila ‘s street children. The film was shown on ITV1 during Soccer Aid and helped raise over £4.9 million for UNICEF. [ 252 ] [ 253 ] [ 254 ] In October 2012, while in India for the Grand Prix, Hamilton visited a UNICEF-funded neonate worry unit and nutrition center. Hamilton said : “ As a sport in the public eye, I know I have a function to play in helping to tell the stories of the world ‘s most vulnerable children and I jumped at the find to be able to do that again after a visit to Manila. ” [ 255 ] [ 256 ] [ 257 ] In 2014, Hamilton travelled to Haiti where he made a short film about child malnutrition. The film was shown on ITV1 during Soccer Aid, and helped raise over £6 million for UNICEF. [ 258 ] [ 259 ] [ 260 ] In 2015, Hamilton took part in an exhibition to highlight UNICEF ‘s bring and to celebrate its twenty-year partnership with Starwood Hotels. [ 261 ] [ 262 ] In June 2017, Hamilton joined the Super Dads enterprise, a special UNICEF crusade that highlighted the critical function played by fathers in early childhood development. [ 263 ] [ 264 ] [ 265 ] In August 2017, Hamilton visited Havana with UNICEF to learn more about its first growth programmes in Cuba. [ 266 ] [ 267 ] In 2020, Hamilton partnered with jacob’s ladder campaign # TOGETHERBAND to help promote the United Nations ‘ 17 global Goals. As part of his campaign work, Hamilton visited Alperton Community School in North West London to speak to the students about the importance of department of education. Hamilton is a GOAL 4 Ambassador, focusing on the fight to provide quality education to all children. [ 268 ]
other charities
Over the past ten, Hamilton has made time for a variety show of good causes, such as making hospital visits to sick children. [ 269 ] [ 270 ] He has invited fans, youthful people, and their families to join him at Grand Prix races and social events. [ 271 ] [ 272 ] [ 273 ] [ 274 ] [ 275 ] In 2013, he became the Global Education Ambassador for Save the Children, supporting and promoting its education campaigns. [ 276 ] [ 277 ] [ 278 ] Two years belated, Hamilton became the first ambassador for the Invictus Games Foundation, supporting wounded, injured, and pale servicemen and women. [ 279 ] [ 280 ] [ 281 ] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamilton ‘s Neat Burger restaurant donated spare meals to frontline NHS workers. [ 282 ] [ 283 ] Neat Burger besides launched the “ Kids Eat Free ” dodge, serving free meals to school children during the half-term break. [ 284 ] [ 285 ] Hamilton much donates personal and professional gear for charity auctions. [ 286 ] [ 287 ] [ 288 ] [ 289 ] He auctioned a race kart and raised over £42,000 for baby charity Tommy ‘s. [ 29 ] He raised £6,411 for the Small Steps Project in 2018, and £6,000 in 2019. [ 290 ] In 2020, he raised another £4,000 for the Small Steps Project, while a donate race suit reportedly raised €20,000 for vulnerable children. [ 291 ] [ 292 ] Hamilton frequently attends charitable functions [ 293 ] [ 294 ] [ 295 ] [ 296 ] and has supported projects and charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, [ 297 ] Comic Relief, [ 298 ] Rays of Sunshine, [ 299 ] Children in Need, [ 300 ] and Stevenage ‘s Keech Hospice Care Children ‘s Service, among others. [ 301 ] He is besides involved in charitable work through the creation of his Lewis Hamilton Foundation. Registered in June 2008, the basis provides grants and donations to a number of charitable causes. [ 302 ] [ 303 ]
Media reception
In December 2017, Hamilton courted controversy after sharing a video on Instagram of his nephew wearing a princess dress in which he commented : “ Why did you ask for a princess dress for Christmas, boys do n’t wear princess dresses. ” [ 304 ] He was condemned on social media and by LGBT charities for his comments. [ 305 ] [ 306 ] He subsequently deleted the television before by and by deleting all content from his social media channels, [ 307 ] although he returned to actively using his social media accounts on 17 January 2018. [ 308 ] Hamilton apologised for his comments, and later appeared at Disneyland Paris with his nephew, who wore a princess apparel for the travel, ampere well as featuring on the front cover of GQ wearing a rainbow tartan kilt he designed with Tommy Hilfiger, saying : “ I ‘ve done something and then realised the effect I ‘ve had … I want to make amends. I accept it, realise it and I ‘m glad that I ‘m accountable for it. ” [ 309 ] In December 2018, Stevenage -born Hamilton caused controversy at the BBC Sports Personality of the class Awards where he said on know television, “ It truly was a dream for us all as a family to do something different. For us to get out of the slums ” before immediately correcting himself, saying, “ well, not the slums, but to get out of somewhere and do something. We all set our goals very, very high but we did it as a team. ” While Hamilton immediately sought to correct his remarks, the drawing card of Stevenage Borough Council described the comments as “ disappointing ” and noted that people felt “ very pique ”. [ 310 ] Hamilton posted a video on Instagram in which he apologised for his comments, saying “ I ‘m super gallant of where I come from and I hope you know that I represent in the best manner I can constantly … peculiarly when you are up in front of a crowd, trying to find the right words to express the long journey you ‘ve had in life, I chose the wrong words. ” [ 311 ] The town mayor subsequently accepted his “ benignant apology ”. [ 312 ] Hamilton ‘s contribution and charm has been recognised regularly in the Powerlist, an annual list of the most influential Black Britons, in which he has ranked in the exceed 10 in 2016 and 2017. [ 313 ] [ 314 ] In 2021, Hamilton was named the most influential Black Briton in the 14th Powerlist, for his sporting success and his advocacy in the Black Lives Matter motion. [ 315 ] [ 316 ] In 2020, he was listed as one of Time cartridge holder ‘s 100 most influential people globally, and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to motorsports. [ 317 ] [ 318 ] [ 319 ] Hamilton was one of several figures whose tax arrangements were singled out in a report by the charity Christian Aid in 2008. [ 320 ] [ 321 ] [ 322 ] That year, Hamilton received criticism from UK members of fantan for avoiding UK taxes. [ 323 ] Following the escape of the Paradise Papers in November 2017, it was reported that Hamilton had avoided paying £3.3 million of value added tax ( VAT ) on his private jet, worth £16.5 million. [ 324 ] According to BBC Panorama, the rent deal set up by his advisers appeared to be “ artificial ” and “ did not comply with an EU and UK banish on VAT refunds for individual function ”. The BBC besides said that Hamilton ‘s Instagram score provided attest that the jet was used for personal trips. [ 324 ] The jet was sold in September 2019. [ 325 ] Despite not residing in the UK, HMRC data published in 2019, puts Hamilton among the exceed 5,000 highest united kingdom tax payers. Hamilton told The Sunday Times in 2014 : “ What people do n’t realise is that I pay tax here [ in the UK ], but I do n’t earn all my money here. I race in 19 unlike countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay tax in respective different places, and I pay a fortune here [ UK ] american samoa well. I am contributing to the nation. ” [ 326 ] [ 327 ]
other ventures
Hamilton besides has interests in music, saying that “ music has been a huge passion of mine since I was very new. I started playing guitar when I was 13. In here, I can be me, I can be vulnerable. I can show a side of me that people do n’t get to see. ” [ 328 ] He features on Christina Aguilera ‘s 2018 song “ Pipe ” under the pseudonym XNDA, although he did not confirm this until July 2020, when he revealed he had been writing and recording music for ten-spot years. [ 329 ] [ 330 ] Hamilton besides made a guest appearance in the film Cars 2 in which he voices an anthropomorphic version of himself. [ 331 ] He then voiced a voice command adjunct in Cars 3 used by Cruz Ramirez. [ 332 ] Hamilton is credited as an executive producer for the 2018 objective film The Game Changers. [ 333 ] In 2018, Hamilton launched the clothe cable TOMMYXLEWIS during New York Fashion Week with american fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger alongside models Winnie Harlow and Hailey Baldwin. [ 334 ] Hamilton stated “ [ g ] rowing up, I remember seeing the iconic Tommy Hilfiger flag ” and Hilfiger commented on Hamilton, saying that “ Lewis is bold in everything he does … He ‘s not afraid to take risks. And he has a cool and sophisticate expressive style that actually speaks to the new generation of Tommy fans. ” [ 335 ] In September 2019, Hamilton launched a vegan restaurant named Neat Burger. [ 336 ] It claims to be the first international plant-based hamburger chain. [ 337 ] In 2020, Neat Burger was crowned Best Vegan Restaurant of the year at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. [ 338 ] In August 2020, Daily Front Row listed Hamilton as one of a group of high-profile investors who purchased W, a trouble manner magazine. [ 339 ] Hamilton besides became an Ambassador for the luxury watch company IWC, owned by Richemont. Throughout 2021, Hamilton toured the world via PORTL hologram, first in Europe and then making its U.S. debut in Los Angeles in September. [ 340 ] In September 2020, Hamilton launched X44 to compete in the all-electric SUV off-road racing series Extreme E from the 2021 season on. [ 341 ]
personal life
In 2017, Hamilton told the BBC that he had become vegan because “ [ a ] s the homo race, what we are doing to the global … the pollution [ in terms of emissions of global-warming gases ] coming from the sum of cows that are being produced is incredible. The cruelty is atrocious and I do n’t inevitably want to support that and I want to live a healthier life. ” [ 342 ] In 2018 he was named the PETA Person of the year for his vegan activism. [ 343 ] In 2018, Hamilton said in an consultation that he gave up drink “ a while ago ”. [ 344 ] Hamilton is a fan of art and has said that one of his favored artists is Andy Warhol. [ 345 ] Prior to the 2014 United States Grand Prix, Hamilton wore a gold-framed version of Warhol ‘s Cars, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe paint hanging from a chain around his neck. [ 346 ] From November 2007 to February 2015, Hamilton was in an on-and-off relationship with Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer of the American female child group Pussycat Dolls. [ 347 ] [ 348 ] Hamilton owns two unrestored 1967 AC Cobras, one bootleg and one red, [ 349 ] and in February 2015, it was reported that he had purchased a Ferrari LaFerrari from “ his rivals in Maranello ”. [ 350 ] Hamilton is a catholic ; he claims that he prays regularly and is guided by his religion. [ 351 ] Hamilton believes that he has the “ hired hand of God ” resting over him when racing in Formula One. [ 352 ] [ 353 ] Hamilton is besides a patron of LGBT rights, and powerfully criticised the hungarian government before the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, [ 354 ] while besides calling out the “ terrify ” Saudi Arabian LGBT laws before that Grand Prix. [ 355 ]
Legal issues
On 18 December 2007, Hamilton was suspended from driving in France for a calendar month after being caught speeding at 196 kilometers per hour ( 122 miles per hour ) on a french expressway. His Mercedes-Benz CLK was besides impounded. [ 356 ] [ 357 ] Two days before the 2010 australian Grand Prix, Victoria Police witnessed Hamilton “ intentionally losing grip ” in his silver medal Mercedes-AMG C63, and impounded the cable car for 48 hours. Hamilton immediately released a statement of apology for “ driving in an over-exuberant manner ”. After being charged with intentionally losing master of a fomite, Hamilton was finally fined A $ 500 ( £ 288 ), being described as a “ hoon “ by the magistrate. [ 358 ] [ 359 ] [ 360 ]
residence
Hamilton moved to Luins, Vaud quarter, Switzerland in 2007, citing privacy as his main argue for leaving the UK. He belated said on the television receiver prove Parkinson that tax income was besides a divisor in his decision. [ 361 ] [ 362 ] [ 363 ] In 2010, Hamilton, like many other Formula One drivers, moved to Monaco, purchasing a theater worth a report £10 million. Hamilton besides owns an apartment in Manhattan, New York which he bought for US $ 40 million in 2017, and an estate of the realm in Colorado where he has said he would live after his retirement. [ 364 ]
Wealth and income
In 2015, Hamilton was ranked as the richest british sportsperson, with an estimated personal fortune of £88 million. [ 365 ] In 2018, it was reported that Hamilton had a net worth of £ 159 million. [ 366 ] In 2020, Hamilton ‘s luck was an estimated £224 million, making him the richest british sports leading in the history of the Sunday Times Rich List. [ 367 ] Before the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton signed a sign to stay with Mercedes until the end of the 2018 season in a distribute reportedly worth more than £100 million over the three years, making him one of the best-paid drivers in Formula One. [ 73 ] In the week leading up to the 2018 german Grand Prix, Hamilton signed a biennial compress with Mercedes, reported to be deserving up to £40 million per class, making him the best-paid driver in the history of Formula One. [ 81 ]
Karting record
Karting career drumhead
race record
Racing career drumhead
* Season still in advance .
complete Macau Grand Prix results
dispatch Formula 3 Euro Series results
( cardinal ) ( Races in bold indicate pole position ; races in italics indicate fastest lap )
complete GP2 Series results
( key ) ( Races in bold indicate pole position ; races in italics indicate fastest lick )
accomplished Formula One results
( key ) ( Races in bold indicate pole position ; races in italics bespeak fastest lap )
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90 % of the subspecies distance.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75 % of race distance was completed.
* Season even in advance .
Formula One records
Hamilton debuted at the 2007 australian Grand Prix becoming the beginning black driver in Formula One. [ 375 ] [ 376 ] He has set respective records throughout his career. Hamilton has the most career wins, [ 377 ] [ 378 ] most pole positions, [ 379 ] [ 380 ] most dais finishes, [ 381 ] [ 382 ] most career points, [ 383 ] and most laps led, [ 384 ] among other records. When Hamilton won the 2008 F1 World Championship, after finishing fifth in the brazilian Grand Prix, he had become the youngest driver ever to win the championship at age 23 years and 301 days, [ 385 ] [ 386 ] a prevail that was beaten by Sebastian Vettel in 2010. [ 387 ] [ 388 ]
Honours and achievements
Formula One
other awards
Throughout his career, Hamilton has received respective awards and honors. He won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2008 [ 404 ] and the Sportsman of the Year Award in 2020. [ 405 ] Hamilton besides won Pride of Britain Awards ( 2007 ), [ 406 ] Best Driver ESPY Award ( 2017 ), [ 407 ] BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ( 2014 ; 2020 ), [ 408 ] [ 409 ] L’Équipe Champion of Champions ( 2020 ), [ 410 ] and Gazzetta World Sportsman of the Year ( 2018 ; 2020 ), [ 411 ] [ 412 ] among others prizes and awards. He was elected FIA Personality of the Year three times ( 2014 ; 2018 ; 2020 ), [ 413 ] [ 414 ] [ 415 ] and was inducted to FIA Hall of Fame in 2017. [ 416 ]
Orders and special awards
recognition
- A portrait of Hamilton by photographer Dario Mitidieri is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.[420]
- The Hamilton Straight, Silverstone Circuit.[421]
Notes
References
further take
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