Lewis Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history and one of Britain's most popular sportsmen of the decade.
Lewis Hamilton background
Sir Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
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 podium finishes (192), among others.
Lewis Hamilton Profile
Full Name: Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
Birth date: 7 January 1985
Nationality: British
Place of birth: Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Age: 38 years old (as of April 2023)
Current Team: Mercedes-AMG Petronas
Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Marital status: Single
Position: F1 Racing Driver
Salary: $35 million per year
Net worth: $285 Million
Instagram: @lewishamilton
Lewis Hamilton Career
Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver programme in 1998 at the age of 13, becoming the youngest racing driver ever to be contracted by a Formula One team.
This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren for six years from 2007 to 2012, making Hamilton the first-ever black driver to race in the series.
In his inaugural season, Hamilton set numerous records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point.
The following season, he won his maiden title in dramatic fashion—making a crucial overtake at the last corner on the last lap of the last race of the season—to become the then-youngest Formula One World Champion in history.
In his last four years with McLaren, Hamilton continued to score podium finishes and race victories.
Hamilton entered the final round 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 drivers' crown.
The following 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 year in which distractions in his private life and run-ins with FIA officials saw Hamilton finish a lowly fifth in the standings, after which he vowed he would return to form for 2012.
Hamilton achieved four race-wins in the 2012 season as he finished fourth in the standings.
Before the end of the year, Hamilton announced that he would be joining Mercedes for the 2013 season, replacing the retiring Michael Schumacher.
After six years with McLaren, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013.
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 move to Mercedes, a team with no recent history of success, as a gamble.
In his first season with the Silver Arrows, Hamilton secured a sole race victory, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he converted an unexpected pole position into a winning margin of over 11 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kimi Räikkönen, alongside a number of podium finishes and pole positions, finishing fourth in the standings once again, the third time in five years.
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.
Hamilton clinching his second drivers' title, and eclipsed the victory tally of all British drivers before him, as he declared over team-radio after the final race in Abu Dhabi: "This is the greatest day of my life."
In 2014 came new driver number regulations that allowed drivers to pick a unique car number to use for their entire career, and so Hamilton elected to drive under his old karting No. 44 for the remainder of his career.
Ahead of the 2015 Formula 1 season, Hamilton announced he would not be exercising his option of switching his car number to 1, as was his prerogative as reigning World Champion, and would instead 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.
Hamilton dominated the 2015 season, winning ten races and finishing on the podium a record seventeen times as he matched his hero Ayrton Senna's three World Championships titles.
The rivalry between him and Rosberg intensified, climaxing in a heated battle at the US Grand Prix where Hamilton won in an action-packed, wheel-to-wheel battle with his teammate to clinch the title with three races to spare.
That same year, Hamilton extended his contract with Mercedes for three additional years in a deal reportedly worth more than £100 million, making him one of the highest-paid drivers in Formula One, as well as allowing Hamilton to retain his own image rights, which is considered unusual in the sport, and keep his championship-winning cars and trophies.
Despite recording more pole positions and race wins than any other driver in 2016, Hamilton lost the drivers' title by five points to his teammate, Rosberg.
Hamilton endured a fierce rivalry with his then-Mercedes teammate Rosberg as the pair fought freely leasing to several acrimonious exchanges both on and off the track, culminating in Hamilton defying team-orders at the season finale in Abu Dhabi and deliberately slowing to back Rosberg into the chasing pack at the end of the race in an unsuccessful bid to encourage other drivers to overtake his teammate, which would have allowed him to win the title.
Eventually, a succession of poor starts from Hamilton early in the season and a crucial engine blowout in Malaysia meant Rosberg took the title, which he successfully secured before announcing his shock retirement from the sport immediately after beating his rival.
Hamilton also endured a rivalry with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel from 2017-2020 in which he won four world titles consecutively.
Hamilton and Vettel exchanged the championship lead throughout 2017 in a tense title fight. Hamilton registered 11 pole positions that season as he took the record for the all-time most pole positions.
However, since the start of the 2021 season, Hamilton has endured an intense rivalry with Red Bull and defending F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, who has won the last two titles consecutively.
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap of the race, denying Hamilton his eighth title.
During the season, Hamilton became the first driver to surpass 100 pole positions and 100 race wins, respectively.
The season finale was marred by controversy over race director Michael Masi's decision to instruct only the lapped cars separating Verstappen and Hamilton to un-lap themselves under the safety car, which eliminated any gap between the pair and allowed the Dutchman, running newly fitted soft tyres, to enter the final lap immediately behind Hamilton on his worn hard tyres.
Four days after the race, the FIA announced that it would conduct an internal investigation into the incident.
Masi was subsequently removed from his role as race director
2022 was the first winless season for Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 as Mercedes’ car struggles also contributed to his struggles on the tracks.
By the end of the season, Hamilton achieved nine podiums but failed to achieve a race win or pole position in a season for the first time in his Formula One career.
He finished in sixth place in the drivers' championship, 35 points behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who finished fourth.
But Hamilton managed to qualify on higher grid positions and scored more podium finishes than Russell.
Lewis Hamilton Driving style
Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid, excelling across a wide range of areas.
The seven-time world champion has been described as having an aggressive driving style, with a natural aptitude for identifying the limits of the car.
Hamilton has also been praised for his ability to adapt to variances in the car set-up and changing track 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.
Hamilton has been praised for his consistency, especially in his time at Mercedes.
From 2017 to 2018, he finished 33 consecutive races in point-scoring positions, a run only brought to an end as a result of mechanical issues as opposed to driver error.
Hamilton is regarded as one of the best wet-weather drivers in the sport, 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.
During the turbo-hybrid era, Hamilton remained unbeaten in every race affected by wet weather from the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix up to the 2019 German Grand Prix, where his almost five-year streak was broken by Max Verstappen.
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 safety car, something he went on to repeat four years later in Formula One at the 2010 European Grand Prix in Valencia.
Following his move to Mercedes, Hamilton was credited with demonstrating greater maturity, while maintaining his ruthlessness and aggression.
The official Formula One website also describes him as "invariably a fierce but fair fighter".
Hamilton has been described as the best driver of his generation, and one of the greatest Formula One drivers.
Several Formula One drivers and experts have described Hamilton as the greatest Formula One driver of all time and one of the greatest British sportsmen.
Despite receiving plaudits from experts and fans in and out of the sport, Hamilton has been a divisive figure in the eyes of the general public, with some journalists arguing his exploits on the track have been under-appreciated.
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Lewis Hamilton Career Achievements
Formula One World Drivers' Championship: 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
DHL Fastest Lap Award: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
FIA Pole Trophy/Pirelli Pole Position Award: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020
Hawthorn Memorial Trophy: 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Lorenzo Bandini Trophy: 2009
Throughout his career, Hamilton has received several awards and honors.
He won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2008 and the Sportsman of the Year Award in 2020.
Hamilton also won Pride of Britain Awards (2007), Best Driver ESPY Award (2017; 2021), BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (2014; 2020), L'Équipe Champion of Champions (2020), and Gazzetta World Sportsman of the Year (2018; 2020), amongst others.
He was elected FIA Personality of the Year four times (2014; 2018; 2020; 2021) and was inducted to FIA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Lewis Hamilton Net Worth
As of April 2023, Lewis Hamilton has an estimated net worth is $285 Million as per Wealthy Gorilla.
In 2015, Hamilton was ranked as the richest British sportsperson, with an estimated personal fortune of £88 million.
In 2018, it was reported that Hamilton had a net worth of £159 million.
In July 2019, Daily Mail reported that Lewis Hamilton has sold his £25million candy red private jet to help reduce his carbon emissions.
Hamilton's Bombardier Challenger 605 was named in notorious Paradise Papers when the 34-year-old got a £3.3million VAT refund on the jet.
In 2020, Hamilton's fortune was an estimated £224 million, making him the richest British sports star in the history of the Sunday Times Rich List.
Before the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton signed a contract to stay with Mercedes until the end of the 2018 season in a deal reportedly worth more than £100 million over three years, making him one of the best-paid drivers in Formula One.
In the week leading up to the 2018 German Grand Prix, Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes, reported to be worth up to £40 million per year, making him the best-paid driver in the history of Formula One.
According to Forbes, Hamilton was one of the highest-paid athletes of twenty-tens decade, and also the highest-paid Formula One driver from 2013 to 2021.
He is also known for his philanthropy, human-rights activism and has repeatedly discussed environmental issues and animal rights at conferences, in interviews and in documentaries.
How does Hamilton make his money?
Hamilton makes his money by racing in Formula 1 as well as venturing into a slew of investments as well as other endeavours including music, movies and gaming.
In 2010, Hamilton, like many other Formula One drivers, moved to Monaco, purchasing a house worth a reported £10 million.
Hamilton also owns an apartment in Manhattan, New York which he bought for US$40 million in 2017, and an estate in Colorado where he has said he would live after his retirement.
Hamilton is credited as an executive producer for the 2018 documentary film The Game Changers.
Hamilton has also revealed he was offered a role as a fighter pilot in the film Top Gun: Maverick (2022) by Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, but was forced to decline the offer due to his Formula One commitment.
In 2018, Hamilton launched the clothing line TOMMYXLEWIS during New York Fashion Week with American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger alongside models Winnie Harlow and Hailey Baldwin.
In September 2019, Hamilton launched a vegan restaurant named Neat Burger.
In August 2020, Daily Front Row listed Hamilton as one of a group of high-profile investors who purchased W, a troubled fashion magazine.
Hamilton also 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.
In August 2022, Hamilton joined the newly-established ownership group of the National Football League's Denver Broncos.
He was also part of the consortium backing Sir Martin Broughton's attempt to acquire the Premier League club Chelsea alongside Tennis legend Serena Williams and is understood to have committed £10m to the bid.
However, the consortium eventually lost out on the bid as the Todd Boehly-led consortium ended up acquiring the West London club.
According to a report from The Mirror, Hamilton was open to exploring the possibility of purchasing ownership of Manchester United, with The Glazer family having expressed interest in selling some part of the Premier League franchise.
Is Lewis Hamilton married? Lewis Hamilton wife
As of April 2023, Lewis Hamilton is not married.
Who is Lewis Hamilton dating? Lewis Hamilton girlfriend
On his 38th birthday on January 7th, 2023, Lewis Hamilton was spotted in Antarctica, in a Jacuzzi bath with Shaun White (an American snowboarder).
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion was spotted with a mystery woman in the video, with fans suggesting that Hamilton is now dating Juliana Nalu, who is the ex-girlfriend of American rapper Kanye West.
Although there is no concrete proof that the pair are together, social media users have seemingly concluded on the status of that Juliana Nalu is currently Lewis Hamilton’s girlfriend.
Does Lewis Hamilton have children? Lewis Hamilton children
The seven-time Formula One world champion does not have any children yet, and in a recent interview with The Times via The Express, he gave a strong reason why he has not started a family.
Hamilton stated that he is a workaholic and does not have time for a personal life, including starting a family.
The busy schedule of F1 drivers, which requires travelling to 23 cities in a season, makes it challenging to balance personal and professional life.
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