F1 Racing Famous Drivers
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England on January 7, 1985. Starting in 2007 for the new F1 season he drives for the McLaren Mercedes team.
His debut was at the Australian Grand Prix on March 18, 2007, where he finished third becoming the first ever F1 driver to secure a podium (top three) finish in each of his first three World Championship Grands Prix.
Racing career
Pre-Formula One
Karting
- In 1993 Hamilton was at his early stages of karting around 8 years-old and within no time he began winning races and championships.
- He participated in the Cadet (1995-6), Junior Yamaha (1997), Junior Intercontinental A (1998-9), Intercontinental A (1999), Formula A (2000) and Formula Super A (2001) ranks in seven seasons
- By the year 2000 Hamilton became the European Champion with maximum points
- In 2000 Hamilton received the “Rising Star Award” after his successes in the motor racing world.
Formula One
In 1994 Hamilton had a first contact with McLaren team Boss Ron Dennis, later in 1998 he signed as part of the McLaren Driver Development Support program. He became the youngest driver ever to have an F1 contract
His 2006 GP2 championship arrived at the same time an open spot became available at McLaren due to the departure of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari. Additionally, Hamilton was the first driver with prominent African or Caribbean ancestry to compete in Formula One
The day of his début at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, he qualified 4th on the grid and finished 3rd in the race. In Sepang he took second place in a McLaren one-two which is now a record for the best result in the first two races by a F1 rookie.