Monoposto

Nº 30

Lewis Hamilton

2008, 2014–15, 2017–20 World Champion

Overview

Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, born in Stevenage on 7 January 1985, is a British racing driver and seven-time World Drivers' Champion, a record he shares with Michael Schumacher.1 He won his first title with McLaren in 2008 and the other six with Mercedes.1

He holds the records for most wins, poles and podiums in the sport.1 His father, Anthony, who is of Afro-Grenadian descent, managed his career until 2010, and Hamilton became the first Black driver to race in Formula One in 2007.1

He joined Ferrari in 2025 and took his first win for the team at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.1

2008

Five wins with McLaren, one point clear of Felipe Massa

The last corners in Brazil

His second season brought five wins, including a British Grand Prix he won by more than a minute.1 The title went to the final round in Brazil, where Felipe Massa won the race for Ferrari and, for a few moments, looked to have the championship.1

Hamilton passed Timo Glock for fifth in the final corners of the last lap. It gave him the title by one point, 98 to 97, and made him the youngest champion at the time.129

Every Grand Prix finish, 2008

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2014

Eleven wins with Mercedes, 67 points clear of Nico Rosberg

Catching Rosberg

Mercedes won 16 of the 19 races, and the title became a fight between its two drivers.1 A retirement in Belgium left him 29 points behind Nico Rosberg, and he answered with five straight wins.13

He sealed it by winning the double-points final round in Abu Dhabi, and called it "the greatest day" of his life over team radio.1310

Every Grand Prix finish, 2014

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2015

Ten wins, 59 points clear of Nico Rosberg

Settled in Austin

He took 11 poles in the first 12 races and 17 podiums across the season, then a joint record.1 Victory at the United States Grand Prix, after a heated fight with Rosberg, clinched it with three races to spare and gave him back-to-back titles for the first time.1411

Every Grand Prix finish, 2015

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2017

Nine wins, 46 points clear of Sebastian Vettel

Past Vettel at Monza

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel made this a two-team fight. Hamilton took the championship lead at the Italian Grand Prix, a weekend on which he also broke the all-time pole record.1 He equalled the record of three grand slams in a season, and ninth place in Mexico was enough to clinch it with two races to spare.1512

Every Grand Prix finish, 2017

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2018

Eleven wins, 88 points clear of Sebastian Vettel

The fight for five

Both he and Vettel were chasing a fifth title, and the season turned after the German Grand Prix, as driver errors cost Vettel.1 Hamilton clinched it in Mexico and ended the year with 11 wins, 11 poles and a record 408 points.1613

Every Grand Prix finish, 2018

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2019

Eleven wins, 87 points clear of Valtteri Bottas

A new high for points

Second place in the United States settled the title with two races left, against teammate Valtteri Bottas.1714 He finished on 413 points, beating his own record from the year before, and closed the season with his sixth career grand slam in Abu Dhabi.1

Every Grand Prix finish, 2019

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

2020

Eleven wins from 16 starts, 124 points clear of Valtteri Bottas

Level with Schumacher

Winning in Portugal took him to 92 career wins and past Michael Schumacher's all-time record.1 Victory in a rain-hit Turkish Grand Prix then clinched the title with three rounds to spare and equalled Schumacher's seven.1815

He missed the Sakhir Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19, his first absence since 2007, which is why this strip shows 16 rounds from a 17-race season.1

Every Grand Prix finish, 2020

Numeral size follows the result. Round 1 at left.

Image plates

7 photographs, in season order

Helmet

He came into Formula One in 2007 with the bright yellow helmet he had used since karting.18 In 2014 he switched to white and candy apple red, the look of his Mercedes title years.18

In 2022 he went back to yellow, saying it was his history.19 His Ferrari helmet keeps that yellow with red lines, and adds the Prancing Horse, his wings logo and his number 44.20

He has kept 44, his karting number, throughout his Formula One career.1 The drawings below show the design for each title year.

2008

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2014

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2015

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2017

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2018

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2019

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

2020

Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Background removed

Seven title cars

One title came in a McLaren, which finished second to Ferrari in the 2008 constructors' standings.17 The other six came in cars that also won the constructors' title, part of a record run of eight straight for Mercedes from 2014 to 2021.16

His 2018 W09 at the Silverstone Classic, 2022.

David Merrett · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
2008
McLaren MP4-23
2014
Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid
2015
Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid
2017
Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+
2018
Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+
2019
Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+
2020
Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance

Road to the title

  1. 1995Youngest British cadet karting champion, at 10.1
  2. 1998Joined the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Programme.1
  3. 2000European karting champion and Karting World Cup winner.1
  4. 2003Formula Renault UK champion, with 10 wins from 15 races.1
  5. 2005F3 Euro Series champion, with 15 wins from 20 rounds.1
  6. 2006GP2 Series champion with ART Grand Prix.1
  7. 2007Formula One debut with McLaren, third in Australia, and a first win in Canada in his sixth start.1
  8. 2013Moved to Mercedes.1
  9. 2025Moved to Ferrari.1

Records

  • Most World Drivers' Championships, with seven, shared with Michael Schumacher1
  • Most wins, with 1061
  • Most poles, with 1051
  • Most podiums, with 2091
  • Most wins at the British Grand Prix, with nine1
  • Most consecutive podiums from debut, with nine1
  • Most wins in a debut season, with four, shared with Jacques Villeneuve1
  • First Black driver to race in Formula One1

Sources