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When Did Lewis Hamilton Join F1? All You Need to Know
Lewis Hamilton now might be known as the greatest motorsport driver to ever get into the circuit, but from his humble beginnings, he was born for greatness.
![Lewis Hamilton [Credit-Getty]](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-08/1909086804_lewis-hamilton-credit-getty.jpg "Lewis Hamilton [Credit-Getty]")
Lewis Hamilton was born on January 7, 1985. He is from Stevenage, England. He is one of the most successful Formula One (F1) Grand Prix drivers in history. He holds the Formula One record for most race victories and is tied with Michael Schumacher for the most drivers' titles (seven). In 2008, he became the first Black driver to win the Formula One world championship.
Hamilton started his racing career when he was eight years old. He won the British Kart Championship when he was ten.
Three years later, Hamilton was accepted into the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Assistance Programme, where he received the necessary assistance and guidance to train and enhance his talents.
From 1998 to 2000, he won the European and World Karting Championships, and at the age of 15, he became the sport's youngest-ever number-one driver.
Hamilton moved on to motor racing, and in 2003 he won the British Formula Renault race series title by winning 10 of 15 races. The next year, he participated in the Formula Three Euroseries Championship.
He won the championship in 2005, and then in 2006, he joined a team that competed in GP2 (Grand Prix 2), a racing series designed to assist drivers preparing for F1, and won the title in his first season there.
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When did Lewis Hamilton join F1?
Hamilton joined the McLaren Formula One team in 2007. In his first season, he finished second in the World Drivers' Championship, one point behind winner Kimi Räikkönen. His four racing victories that year equaled Jacques Villeneuve's F1 rookie record.
Hamilton won five races to claim the driver's title in 2008 when he was 23. He finished only one point ahead of Felipe Massa. Hamilton was the youngest driver to win the championship until Sebastian Vettel's first title in 2010.
In successive seasons with McLaren, Hamilton remained a prominent driver on the F1 track, winning two races in 2009, three in 2010, three in 2011, and four in 2012. Hamilton opted to leave McLaren in September 2012 to join the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team.
He struggled to acclimate in his first season with Mercedes, winning only one race in 2013, but Hamilton managed to accumulate enough points to finish in the top five of the drivers' championship standings for the seventh straight season.
Hamilton then on dominated the 2014 Formula One season, winning a career-high 11 races and capturing his second driver's title. He was as dominating in 2015, winning his third drivers' championship one month before the season finished. Mercedes won the F1 constructor's title in both seasons thanks to Hamilton's performance and that of colleague Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg and Mercedes won their respective titles in 2016, with Hamilton finishing second in the drivers' standings to his teammate. The next year, Hamilton won nine races on his way to his fourth driver's title. He won another drivers' title in 2018, taking his total to five and matching Juan Manuel Fangio for the second-most championships in F1 history.
In 2019, Hamilton won his sixth drivers' championship, one title behind Michael Schumacher. Hamilton equaled Schumacher's record with his seventh title in 2020, and he also broke Schumacher's record for the most career F1 race wins (then 91, today 103).
In 2021, Hamilton competed with Max Verstappen for the driver's title, which was not determined until the season's last grand prix; a contentious decision by race officials put Hamilton at a disadvantage, and Verstappen went on to win the race and championship.
Hamilton did not win a race in 2022, his first season without a win in F1, despite scoring nine podiums. He finished sixth in the drivers' championship, his lowest ranking ever. In 2023, he recovered to finish third in the drivers' standings but did not win a race.
During these two years, Mercedes struggled with new regulations, and George Russell, Hamilton's teammate, won the team's only race.
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In 2024, after a difficult start to the season, the Silver Arrows' fortunes had improved dramatically as the year continued. Since Round 8 in Monaco, the squad has won more than any other team, with Hamilton winning twice and George Russell winning once.
Hamilton has also amassed some impressive stats, matching Max Verstappen as the driver with the most wins since Monte Carlo (both have won twice), including an emotional and long-awaited return to the top step at Silverstone.
The Briton also shares the honor of having the most podium finishes over the previous seven rounds with the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, having stood on the podium four times.
Hamilton's most recent top-three performance came in the final race before the summer break in Belgium, when he finished second but was upgraded to first after Russell was disqualified for being underweight.
Now, Hamilton alongside Russell, would be getting ready for The Dutch Grand Prix, which is scheduled for August 25.
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