173-676: British racing driver Rivalries Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver , currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes . Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles —tied with Michael Schumacher —and holds the records for most wins (105), pole positions (104), and podium finishes (202), among others . Born and raised in Stevenage , Hertfordshire, Hamilton began his career in karting aged six, winning several national titles and attracting
346-423: A broader audience outside the sport, in part due to his high-profile lifestyle, amongst his environmental and social activism. He has also become a prominent advocate in support of racial justice and increased 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 . Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
519-499: A budget cap, with teams limited to spending a maximum of $ 145 million per year. Teams were required to use more commercially available materials and to submit their annual expenditure. Some teams argued to further reduce the budget cap to $ 100 million, citing concerns that the long-term financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the future of as many as four teams. Formula One managing director Ross Brawn stated that
692-495: A champion representing the UK retained their title, when Lewis Hamilton achieved this, following on from his victory in 2014. Hunt's victory was the last title until 1992, Nigel Mansell's winning season. Graham Hill's son Damon won in 1996 before another lengthy period without a world champion representing the UK. Lewis Hamilton won by just one point in 2008, with Jenson Button winning the following year, in 2009. Lewis Hamilton became
865-470: A debut season (109). Acquiring the championship lead as early as in the fourth round of the season, Hamilton became the youngest Formula One driver to lead the championship standings. Due to McLaren's strategical missteps and other misfortunes in the closing rounds of the season, Hamilton's twelve point advantage in the standings evanesced. Resulting in him finishing runner-up in the 2007 World Drivers' Championship to Kimi Räikkönen , by one point. Throughout
1038-528: A fierce battle for the title throughout the season, finishing 1–2 at 14 of 22 Grands Prix, and colliding on track in several occasions. Hamilton achieved his 100th pole position and race win at the Spanish and Russian Grands Prix, respectively, becoming the first driver to achieve either feat. Winning three of the last four races, including a recovery drive at the São Paulo Grand Prix —which
1211-579: A fierce but fair fighter". As a driver he is absolutely outstanding – as good as there's ever been. Apart from the talent, he's a good guy, he gets out on the street and supports and promotes Formula One. He is box office, 100 per cent. — Bernie Ecclestone , speaking of Hamilton in 2015 Hamilton has been described as the best driver of his generation, and one of the greatest Formula One drivers including by Chase Carey and Martin Brundle . Several Formula One drivers and experts have described Hamilton as
1384-587: A footballer or a cricketer, having played both for his school teams. In February 2001, he began studies at Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), a private sixth-form college in Cambridge. Hamilton began karting in 1993 and quickly began winning races and cadet class championships. Two years later, he became the youngest driver to win the British cadet karting championship at the age of ten. That year, Hamilton approached McLaren Formula One team boss Ron Dennis at
1557-551: A former test driver for McLaren who worked with Hamilton and Alonso, rated the pair as the best he had seen first hand, stating that they shared a strength in terms of "how much speed they can run into the apex [of a corner] and still have a decent exit speed", highlighting in particular their ability to maintain this speed when their rear tyres have lost grip during a longer stint. 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,
1730-640: A four-way title battle in 2010 . Hamilton signed for Mercedes in 2013 to partner Nico Rosberg , ending his 15-year association with McLaren. Following his maiden victory with the team at the Hungarian Grand Prix , new engine regulations came into effect the following season , which saw Mercedes emerge as the dominant force in Formula One. From 2014 to 2016 , Hamilton and Rosberg won 51 of 59 Grands Prix amidst their fierce rivalry —widely known as The Silver War —with Hamilton winning
1903-440: A further 5%, meaning the 2021 regulations have seen a total 10% reduction in downforce. However, the teams increased downforce by 4–5% over the winter, so the overall downforce reduction was approximately 5%. The "dual-axis steering" (DAS) system developed by Mercedes in 2020 was banned, starting from 2021. The DAS system allowed the driver to adjust the toe of the front wheels to optimise mechanical grip by pulling or pushing on
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#17327877365392076-493: A gamble. In his first season with the Brackley -based team, 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-placed Räikkönen. With a number of other podium finishes and pole positions, Hamilton finished fourth in the standings once again, the third time in five years. Changes to engine regulations for
2249-430: A lot more—clear of every other driver on the grid". I feel like this year [2022], when we got our first fifth, it felt like a win. When we got our first fourth, it felt like a win. When we got our first podium, it felt like a win, and those second places felt as if we really achieved something, so I'll just hold on to those. — Hamilton, reflecting on his winless 2022 season. Partnered by George Russell in place of
2422-415: 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 . His wet weather drive at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix where he clinched his seventh world title
2595-434: A natural aptitude for identifying the limits of the car; Mark Hughes, writing for the official Formula One website, described how Hamilton is "super-hard on the brakes ... but has a fantastic ability to match how quickly the downforce is bleeding off with his modulation of the pressure so that there's no wasted grip but no locked wheels either." Paddy Lowe , previously the engineering director for McLaren, described how Hamilton
2768-872: A pit stop during Sprint Qualifying, and all 20 drivers at events where Sprint Qualifying takes place were given free tyre choice ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix. Teams were given a $ 500,000 overall grant by the FIA to cover the cost of the scheduled three sprint races. Winter testing switched from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir , with three days of running beginning on 12 March. Formula One declined an offer from Bahrain to provide COVID-19 vaccines for all personnel attending pre-season testing and
2941-411: A plane crash. He won the driver's title in 1962 with BRM and 1968 with Team Lotus . His son, Damon Hill , followed him into the sport, making his debut in 1992 for Brabham . He was described by team boss Frank Williams as "a tough bastard" and went on to win the championship with Williams in 1996. Despite that success he was dropped by the team and moved to the uncompetitive Arrows . James Hunt
3114-466: A points deficit to Vettel in the first half of the season, ultimately wrapping the title up in Mexico with two races to spare. The 2018 season was the first time that two four-time World Champions, Hamilton and Vettel, would be competing for a fifth title and was billed as the "Fight for Five" by journalists and fans. As with the 2017 season, Ferrari and Vettel appeared to have the upper hand for much of
3287-434: A qualified dentist, made his debut in 1956 for BRM. In his first race, the 1956 British Grand Prix , he was involved in a serious crash, being thrown from the car and breaking his jaw. At the 1957 British Grand Prix Brooks was in second place when he was called into the pits. He stepped out of the car and gave it to teammate Stirling Moss whose own car had developed technical problems. Moss rejoined in ninth and went on to win
3460-580: A quality driver, very strong and only 16. If he keeps this up I'm sure he will reach F1. It's something special to see a kid of his age out on the circuit. He's clearly got the right racing mentality. — Michael Schumacher , speaking about Hamilton in 2001 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 maximum points. In Formula A and Formula Super A, racing for TeamMBM.com, his teammate
3633-514: A race weekend was revised. Under the pre-existing regulations, a race weekend spanned four days, with the Thursday before the race being reserved for media and promotional events and scrutineering; however, under the new regulations all of Thursday's events were moved to the Friday morning, with the times between activities on that day being reduced. Cars were under parc fermé conditions following
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#17327877365393806-434: A run only brought to an end as a result of mechanical issues as opposed to driver error. Ross Brawn wrote that "over the course of [2018], Hamilton hardly put a foot wrong, winning not only the races he should have, but also some where the opposition was stronger, and that is the true mark of a champion." Ahead of the 2021 season, Martin Brundle , commentating for Sky Sports, said "I think what has stood out about Lewis over
3979-531: A second consecutive year. The race calendar was revised again on 28 August 2021, consisting of twenty-two Grands Prix, with the Turkish, Mexico City and São Paulo Grands Prix moved a week later, the round in which the cancelled Australian Grand Prix was due to take place left empty in order to replace it, and the confirmation that the Japanese Grand Prix would not be replaced. On 30 September 2021
4152-551: A second season, culminating in Whitmarsh tearing up Hamilton's contract; however, Hamilton called Whitmarsh six weeks later and re-signed with the team. Hamilton first tested for McLaren in late 2004 at Silverstone . Hamilton moved to the reigning Euro Series champions ASM for the 2005 season and dominated the championship, winning 15 of the 20 rounds. He also won the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort . After
4325-499: A series of high-speed bends where overtaking is rare. In Istanbul he recovered from a spin that left him in eighteenth place to take second. Hamilton won the title in unusual circumstances, inheriting the final point he needed after Giorgio Pantano was stripped of fastest lap in the Monza feature race. Hamilton's success in the GP2 championship coincided with a vacancy at McLaren following
4498-407: A series of tokens which could be exchanged for the introduction of specific component upgrades. Some aerodynamic rule changes were enacted by the FIA. The floor of the cars were 'clipped' in order to reduce downforce for 2021. In 2020, the floor was permitted to run in a straight line from an area adjacent to the cockpit back to a point ahead of the rear tyre. However, from 2021 that point ahead of
4671-512: A slow stop and a decision to stay out until lap 59 let Hamilton into the lead until the checkered flag, Verstappen ended up second with Bottas in third place from Leclerc and Pérez. Leclerc took pole at the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing in the final minutes. The crash caused a driveshaft failure, meaning he was unable to start the race. Verstappen started at the front and led from Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr. On lap 30, Bottas
4844-463: A team that used works Mercedes engines and was 40% owned by the German manufacturer at the time. Hamilton is the first and as of 2024 the only black driver to race in the series. After finishing on the podium in his debut, Hamilton went on to set several records, including those for the most consecutive podium finishes from debut (9), the joint most wins in a debut season (4) and the most points in
5017-472: A total of 20 titles between them including the 2020 season. The first British champion was Mike Hawthorn , who in 1958 became only the fourth different person to win the title. In the 15 seasons between 1962 and 1976 the title was won by a driver representing the UK nine times: Graham Hill (1962, 1968), Jim Clark (1963, 1965), John Surtees (1964), Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971, 1973), and James Hunt (1976). Despite these successes, it wasn't until 2015 that
5190-458: A two-year contract with Mercedes, reported to be worth up to £40 million per year, making him the best-paid Formula One driver in history. Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship standings for the majority of the 2019 season, fending off title challenges from team-mate Bottas, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's recently promoted Charles Leclerc , to clinch his sixth Drivers' crown at
5363-622: A week and the Styrian Grand Prix , which was originally intended to be a one-off race in 2020, was added to the calendar in its place. On 4 June 2021, the Singapore Grand Prix , which was originally due to take place on 3 October, was cancelled due to ongoing safety and logistic concerns and was replaced by the re-joined Turkish Grand Prix. On 18 August 2021, the Japanese Grand Prix was cancelled for
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5536-432: A wet road. Nigel Mansell has won 31 Grands Prix, placing him seventh in the overall race winners' list and making him, by that measure, the second most successful British driver after Lewis Hamilton. He also holds the record for the most races completed in his career before finally winning a world championship. Mansell made his debut in 1980 and came close to winning the title in both 1986 and 1987. He eventually achieved
5709-402: Is also a professional racing driver. Hamilton was raised a Catholic . Hamilton's father bought him a radio-controlled car when he was five. Hamilton finished second in the national BRCA championship the following year against adult competition. Being the only black child racing at his club, Hamilton was subjected to racist abuse. Hamilton's father bought him a go-kart for Christmas when he
5882-444: Is centered on the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One motor-racing season. John Surtees was a multi-title winning motorcyclist before moving to four wheels. His 1960 debut saw him qualify in pole position in his third race and he would go on to win the championship title with Ferrari in 1964. He remains the only person to have won world championships on both two and four wheels. Tony Brooks ,
6055-401: Is comfortable with levels of rear instability that most other drivers would find intolerable. 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. Pedro de la Rosa ,
6228-462: Is due to start at 15:00 on Sunday. At events with Sprint Qualifying, the parc fermé was now brought forward to Friday after normal Qualifying, which saw drivers only allowed to use the softest available tyre with the usual requirement for the top 10 to start on the tyres they used for their best lap in Q2 removed for events including Sprint Qualifying in their schedule. There is also no requirement to make
6401-403: The 2012 season, Hamilton finished fourth in the standings and achieved four race wins, despite several operational failures and reliability issues akin to the 2010 season. Motorsport.com analysis revealed Hamilton had lost an estimated 110 points due to race retirements (three while leading) and other misfortunes, which would have been enough to out-score his rivals and win the title. Prior to
6574-485: 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 and finished every race on the podium as he prevailed in a season-long duel for the title against teammate Rosberg. Clinching his second drivers' title, and eclipsing the victory tally of all British drivers before him, Hamilton declared over team-radio after
6747-495: The 2022 season. The British Grand Prix timetable for 16–18 July revealed that there would be no running for Formula One cars until 14:30 local time on Friday with the normal Qualifying starting at 18:00. Normally, the second practice session would have been at around 14:00, with no running in the evening. A second practice session is due to start at 12:00 on Saturday, before the Sprint Qualifying at 16:30. The main race
6920-420: The 2024 season, Hamilton triggered an exit-clause in his Mercedes contract, allowing him to leave the team at the end of the 2024 season, a year before his contract was due to expire. Having been associated with the German marque since the age of 13, Hamilton explained the decision was one of his hardest to make, and he needed a new challenge and a different work environment. Following another challenging start to
7093-636: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , respectively. Zhou Guanyu drove for Alpine at the Austrian Grand Prix . McLaren announced that they would change from using Renault power units to ones built by Mercedes , resuming the McLaren-Mercedes partnership that ran between 1995 and 2014 . Racing Point became known as Aston Martin . The name change was brought about by the team's part owner Lawrence Stroll investing in
Lewis Hamilton - Misplaced Pages Continue
7266-538: The Aston Martin marque making its return to the sport since 1960 . Renault became known as Alpine , taking on the name of Renault's sportscar brand . Four-time World Drivers' Champion Sebastian Vettel left Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season after racing with the team for six seasons. Vettel's seat was taken by Carlos Sainz Jr. , who had left McLaren after two seasons. Daniel Ricciardo moved from Renault to McLaren, where he replaced Sainz. Ricciardo
7439-745: The Australian Grand Prix , which had been due to take place on 21 March as the inaugural Grand Prix of the championship, was postponed to 21 November. On 6 July 2021, the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix was revised to be a cancellation for a second consecutive year, due to low vaccination rates and travel restrictions in place in Victoria . The dates for the São Paulo , Saudi Arabian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix were changed to accommodate this. On 28 April 2021,
7612-530: The Australian Grand Prix . In his rookie season, Hamilton won four Grands Prix and set several records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. Hamilton won his maiden title in 2008 , making a title-deciding overtake on the last lap of the last race of the season to become the then-youngest World Drivers' Champion . The dominant Red Bull - Renault combination prevailed throughout his remaining four seasons at McLaren, with Hamilton achieving multiple race wins in each, including his involvement in
7785-622: 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." Dennis wrote in Hamilton's autograph book: "Phone me in nine years, we'll sort something out then." 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
7958-596: The Black Lives Matter movement, Hamilton took the knee ahead of every race he entered and wore t-shirts bearing the Black Lives Matter slogan. Hamilton and Bottas' Mercedes W11 cars also sported a black livery as a statement of Mercedes's commitment to diversity. Regulation changes for the 2021 season saw Red Bull make relative performance gains on Mercedes, winning six of the opening eleven rounds. Hamilton and Red Bull's Verstappen engaged in
8131-491: The British , Hungarian and Italian Grands Prix. Both drivers entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tied on points, which ended with a controversial finish, as it was deemed that race control did not handle a late safety car period fully according to the regulations. Verstappen overtook Hamilton in a late restart, after which Mercedes initially protested the results, and later decided not to appeal after their protest
8304-478: The COVID-19 pandemic : Liberty Media , the sport's commercial rights holders, announced that there would be scope for the 2021 calendar to expand beyond the planned twenty-two races of the 2020 calendar . The sporting regulations were amended to allow for a maximum of twenty-five Grands Prix per year. Further changes to the calendar are planned following the disruption to the 2020 championship brought about by
8477-738: The Canadian Grand Prix was cancelled for a second consecutive year and was replaced by the Turkish Grand Prix , originally intended to make a one-off return in 2020. On 14 May 2021, the Turkish Grand Prix was postponed due to the British government imposing a ten-day hotel quarantine on travellers from Turkey into the United Kingdom . As a result, the French Grand Prix was moved forward
8650-479: The Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Kimi Räikkönen tested positive for coronavirus . He was replaced at Alfa Romeo Racing by reserve driver Robert Kubica , who last raced at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , driving for Williams . Räikkönen was also replaced by Kubica at the subsequent Italian Grand Prix . Nikita Mazepin tested positive for coronavirus during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, and
8823-632: The FIA World Motor Sport Council report finding that "human error" resulted in the failure to follow Formula One Sporting Regulations concerning the withdrawal of the safety car, adding that the final standings are "valid, final and cannot now be changed". Notwithstanding the controversy in Abu Dhabi, BBC Sport ' s Andrew Benson described the season as "one of the most intense, hard-fought battles in sporting history", with Hamilton and Verstappen having "been head and shoulders—and
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#17327877365398996-528: The Hungaroring —surpassing Senna and Schumacher for the most pole positions at a single circuit. Prior to the Italian Grand Prix , Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension worth over £100 million to remain with Mercedes through the 2025 season. Hamilton finished third in the standings, and was voted the second-best driver across the season by the rest of the drivers. Prior to the start of
9169-588: The Red Bull Ring , where it was a support event for the Styrian Grand Prix in late June. It ended in late October at the Mexico City Grand Prix . Formula 2 and Formula 3 supported Formula One on alternate weekends, rather than the same ones as a cost saving measure. There was a trial of sprint qualifying at the British , Italian , and São Paulo Grands Prix. Qualifying for these sprints took place on Friday afternoon in place of
9342-511: The Sakhir Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19 , his first race absence since his debut in 2007. In a race drawing parallels with Senna's win at the 1993 European Grand Prix , Hamilton clinched the title at the Turkish Grand Prix with three rounds to spare and ended the season 124 points clear of his team-mate, Bottas, who finished second in the standings. Amid Formula One's We Race as One campaign and growing global support for
9515-496: The United States Grand Prix with two races remaining. After scoring his sixth career grand slam at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , the final race of the season, Hamilton ended the season with 11 wins (matching his previous best in 2014 and 2018) and 17 podiums (matching the all-time record for a fourth time) as well as achieving 5 pole positions. His total of 413 points for the season was a new all-time record, seeing
9688-473: The "greatest all-round racing driver" for his successes in sportscars, touring cars, and rallying as well as Formula One. He finished second in the championship in four successive seasons (1955 to 1958) and has therefore been given the title of "the greatest British driver never to win a world title". Mike Hawthorn was the first British world championship title winner, beating Moss to the 1958 title by just one point. He remains one of only two drivers who won
9861-508: The 2019 F1 season. He started his career with Williams , scoring a point in his second race. He would later race for British American Racing , a team that would then be purchased by Honda with whom he would win his first race, the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix . Following the 2008 season, Honda decided to withdraw from F1, and the team was saved by a management buyout. The team returned as Brawn GP and saw immediate success. Button went on to achieve his most significant F1 successes, winning six of
10034-425: The 2021 season, with this requirement introduced to ease financial pressures on teams brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams were allowed to apply for special dispensation to make changes, most notably in the case of McLaren, who were given permission to modify their car to accommodate the switch from Renault to Mercedes engines. This prompted the FIA to introduce a token system whereby teams were given
10207-523: The 2021 season. Pérez became the first driver since Mark Webber in 2007 to join the team without being previously a Red Bull Junior Team member. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen , who had raced for Haas since 2016 and 2017 respectively, left the team at the end of 2020. 2020 Formula 2 Champion Mick Schumacher , the son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher , took one of
10380-553: The 2024 season, Hamilton ended his 31-month winless drought by winning his ninth British Grand Prix , breaking Schumacher's record for most wins at the same Grand Prix , and becoming the first driver to win a race beyond their 300th start. He achieved his 200th podium finish in Hungary , and another victory at the Belgian Grand Prix . His struggles in qualifying sessions, coupled with Mercedes' decline in performance after
10553-503: The British Grand Prix. These are Hawthorn, Tony Brooks , Innes Ireland , Graham Hill, Surtees, Peter Gethin , Eddie Irvine , Button, George Russell and Lando Norris . Lewis Hamilton made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He managed to finish on the podium in each of his first nine races: a record which stands to this day. He achieved his first win at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix and came within one point of winning
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#173278773653910726-571: The Briton finish 87 points clear of second-placed Bottas. Hamilton won his seventh Drivers' title in 2020 , equalling the record set by Schumacher, in a season heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic . Over the shortened 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. He also took 14 podiums and 10 pole positions. Hamilton missed
10899-574: The COVID-19 pandemic: Liberty Media was also reported to have come to an agreement in principle with race organisers to host a second race in the United States. Plans to hold the race at a circuit in Miami Gardens were unveiled. A second proposal to move the former Brazilian Grand Prix from São Paulo to a new circuit in Rio de Janeiro was also suspended. The original calendar that
11072-484: The Constructors' Championship for the eighth consecutive season. The season featured a close year-long battle for the title between Verstappen and Hamilton, with BBC Sport 's Andrew Benson describing it as "one of the most intense, hard-fought battles in sporting history". The two drivers exchanged the championship lead multiple times during the season, and the title contenders were involved in major collisions at
11245-511: The Driver's Championship standings, with securing two race wins and five podium finishes. Beginning from the 2010 season, Hamilton was partnered by the reigning World Champion Jenson Button . Although McLaren fell-short in terms of car performance and operational efficiency compared to Red Bull and Ferrari , Hamilton entered the final round of the season with a chance of winning the title, but ultimately finished fourth as Sebastian Vettel won
11418-451: The Drivers' title by five points to his teammate Rosberg. The team's policy of letting the pair fight freely led to several acrimonious exchanges both on and off the track, culminating in Hamilton defying team orders at the final race at 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 team-mate, which would have allowed him to win
11591-485: The UK flag. Of those, Lewis Hamilton has won the most titles, with seven putting him level with Michael Schumacher for most titles. Hamilton is still active in the sport; he has won the most races (105), recorded the most pole positions (104) and amassed the most points (4847.5) of any driver representing the UK. There have been ten Formula One World Drivers' Champions representing the United Kingdom, winning
11764-489: The W13's development, and find performance during the opening stages of the season to little success. Following major mid-season car upgrades, he achieved several podium finishes, including five consecutively from Canada to Hungary . Hamilton set several driver records across his sixteenth season, including most consecutive seasons with a podium finish, and a lap led. The season also marked Hamilton finishing behind his teammate in
11937-518: The World Drivers' Championship before he was 25. In 1998, Dennis called Hamilton following his second Super One series and British championship wins, to offer Hamilton a role in the McLaren driver development programme. The contract included an option of a future Formula One seat, which would make Hamilton the youngest driver to secure a contract that later resulted in a Formula One drive. He's
12110-617: The attention of Ron Dennis , who signed him the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 1998. After winning the direct-drive Karting World Cup and European Championship in 2000, Hamilton progressed to junior formulae , where his successes included winning the Formula 3 Euro Series and the GP2 Series . He subsequently signed for McLaren in 2007 , becoming the first black driver to compete in Formula One at
12283-663: The back of the grid after a penalty was applied to Pérez. After the race, Verstappen was penalised by the stewards for being predominantly at fault for the collision with Hamilton; he was given a 3-place grid-penalty for the next race and two penalty points on his super licence. Verstappen was required to start from the back at the Russian Grand Prix for exceeding his quota of a number of his power unit components. Norris took his first career pole position, from Sainz (his best qualifying result), and Russell. The running order changed substantially as heavy rain began to fall in
12456-458: The barrier and calling out the safety car. AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly collided with Daniel Ricciardo 's McLaren the lap after the safety car ended, while Mick Schumacher spun off behind the pack. Lewis Hamilton got past Verstappen on lap 40, but on lap 53 Verstappen overtook Hamilton at turn 4, before being ordered to give the place back because he exceeded track limits. In the end, Hamilton won from Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas completed
12629-432: The best driver of his generation, and one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. Lando Norris and George Russell made their Formula One debuts at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix for McLaren and Williams respectively. Russell currently drives for Mercedes, replacing Valtteri Bottas after the 2021 season, and is contracted with them until the end of 2025. Norris is contracted to drive for McLaren until
12802-548: The bodywork. From the Belgian Grand Prix onwards a new technical directive was enforced surrounding pit stop equipment after concerns teams were flouting the article 12.8.4 of Formula One technical regulations that state that pit equipment may only be filled with compressed air or nitrogen and that sensors on this equipment must 'act passively' to achieve quicker pit stop times and potentially meaning cars could be released in an unsafe condition. To help enforce this new tolerance parameters will be introduced of 0.15 seconds from when
12975-478: The championship ahead of Alex Lloyd . Having clinched the championship, Hamilton missed the last two races of the season to make his debut in the season finale of the British Formula 3 Championship . In his first race he was forced out with a puncture, and in the second he crashed out and was taken to hospital after a collision with teammate Tor Graves . Asked in 2002 about the prospect of becoming one of
13148-408: The championship lead over Verstappen by eight points, while Mercedes also regained their advantage over Red Bull in the Constructors' standings by twelve points. Meanwhile, Nicholas Latifi and George Russell were classified seventh and eighth, taking Williams's first points since 2019. Verstappen took pole from Russell and Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix in a wet qualifying session. The race
13321-411: 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 , and his consistency (finishing every race in the points), as well as a lack of a serious challenge from his new team-mate Valtteri Bottas , saw him record nine race victories and secure his fourth World Drivers' title as he overturned
13494-419: The championship lead, and Sergio Pérez , who took his first podium since France . Verstappen continued his momentum in the United States Grand Prix , taking pole position. Despite Hamilton taking the lead in turn 1, Verstappen was able to win the race with Hamilton in second place, in front of Pérez. The result increased Verstappen's lead to 12 points as Hamilton collected an extra Championship point by setting
13667-465: The closing laps. Hamilton took his 100th Formula One victory as well as the championship lead, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in qualifying in Turkey , but was dropped down the grid because of a penalty due to a power unit component change. Valtteri Bottas was promoted to pole position and won the race, his first of 2021. He was followed by Max Verstappen , who re-took
13840-598: The departing Bottas, the 2022 season marked the first time in Hamilton's Formula One career where he failed to secure at least a race win or a pole position. The season saw significant changes in technical regulations which utilised ground effect . The innovative and radically different Mercedes W13 , suffered with severe porpoising early in the season, leading Hamilton to deem it "undrivable" on multiple occasions, and causing him to sustain back injuries in Azerbaijan . Hamilton frequently experimented with car setups to aid
14013-622: The departure of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari . After months of speculation 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. He was told of McLaren's decision at the end of September, but the news was not made public for almost two months, for fear that it would be overshadowed by Michael Schumacher's retirement announcement. Hamilton's first season in Formula One saw him partner two-time and defending World Champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren ,
14186-406: The driver must pit to correct the error before facing a penalty. Under the previous rules, drivers could be disqualified as soon as such error had occurred. The race time limit for red-flagged races was also reduced from four hours to three hours. From the 2021 United States Grand Prix , lap times set under double waved yellow flags were automatically deleted. For the 2021 season, the schedule of
14359-566: The end of 2025. Scotsman Jim Clark is one of the most highly regarded drivers in the history of the sport. He had won two world championships, missing out on two others due to car failure. He died on 7 April 1968 at an F2 race in Hockenheim after his Lotus suffered a tyre failure. His hall of fame entry on the official Formula One site summarises that "Few champions were as dominant. Fewer still are remembered so fondly." An Autosport survey taken by 217 Formula One drivers saw Clark voted as
14532-461: The end of free practice three instead of qualifying, further restricting teams and drivers from making major changes to setups ahead of the race. The length of the two Friday practice sessions were cut from 90 minutes (as had been the case since the 2007 season) to 60 minutes. The 2021 W Series for female drivers was added to the list of support racing series alongside Formula 2, Formula 3, and Porsche Supercup . The 2021 W Series season started at
14705-421: 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 . 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
14878-626: The event that a team broke the financial regulations, the team can be penalised. It was originally planned a range of punishments for exceeding their annual budget, which include being deducted championship points, having reduced testing time, a race ban, or—for the most severe cases—disqualification from the championship. However, Toto Wolff later revealed that the intended sporting penalties such as points deductions and reduced testing for budget cap breaches would not be handed out, having been voted down by three teams including Red Bull and Ferrari. Teams were limited in what components could be modified for
15051-500: The fastest lap on the last lap but was soon deleted, due to track limits, meaning Bottas was given the fastest lap point. Hamilton took his 100th pole position in Spain . On lap 1, Verstappen overtook him at the first turn. Five laps later, Yuki Tsunoda pulled over at the reprofiled turn 10, marking his first Formula One retirement. Hamilton took the lead after Verstappen pitted on lap 23, but Verstappen took it back on lap 28. However,
15224-462: The fastest lap, and the first race of the season with no retirements. Red Bull extended their lead over Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship to 37 points after the race. Max Verstappen took his third season pole at the Styrian Grand Prix , the first of two back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring. On the first lap, three cars collided at the third turn, forcing Pierre Gasly out of
15397-469: The fastest lap. Bottas took pole in Mexico City , but was spun around at the first corner by Daniel Ricciardo . Another incident behind involving Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher took both drivers out of the race, calling out the safety car. Verstappen took his second win in a row, increasing his lead from Hamilton in second, and Pérez took the final spot on the podium in his home race. Hamilton
15570-529: The fifth greatest F1 driver of all time just ahead of fellow Scottish driver Jackie Stewart. Jackie Stewart won in 1969, 1971, and 1973. By the time of his retirement he had won 27 races, a record that would stand until finally being bettered by Alain Prost in 1987. Stewart remained highly active with the sport, running his own team and being one of the most vocal proponents for the improvement of safety standards in Formula One. Stirling Moss has been called
15743-430: The final in seventh, four places behind Schumacher. Although the two saw little of each other on the track, Schumacher praised the young Briton. Hamilton began his car racing career in the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series, finishing fifth in the standings. This led to a full 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport in which he finished fifth overall. He remained with Manor for another year, winning
15916-495: The final race in Abu Dhabi : "This is the greatest day of my life." New Formula One driver number regulations brought in for 2014 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. Before the start of the 2015 season, Hamilton announced he would not be exercising his option of switching his car number to 1, as
16089-574: The first corner, leading every lap and winning the sprint with Hamilton second and Bottas third, thus Verstappen started on pole for the Grand Prix itself. On lap five of the sprint, Pérez spun, dropping him to the back of the field, and later retiring, forcing him to start from the pits for the race. On the first lap of the Grand Prix, Verstappen and Hamilton collided at approximately 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph) at Copse corner. Hamilton made contact with Verstappen's right rear wheel, causing
16262-506: The first driver to surpass 100 race wins and pole positions in 2021 , finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen amidst a controversial finish . Following winless campaigns in 2022 and 2023 , Hamilton took his record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory in 2024 . After 12 seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton is set to join Ferrari from 2025 onwards. Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One's global following by appealing to
16435-501: The first non-Mercedes driver in the turbo-hybrid era to win the World Championship. This season saw the return of Aston Martin since 1960 after Lawrence Stroll invested into the British marque. Honda became the second engine supplier in the turbo-hybrid era to power a championship-winning car, after Mercedes. Four-time defending and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished runner-up. Mercedes retained
16608-432: The first seven races in 2009 on the way to the world title. In 2010, he moved to McLaren , for whom he raced until the end of his career. He retired at the end of the 2016 season but raced in the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix as a replacement driver. In addition to those detailed above, the following drivers started at least ten races: 2021 Formula One World Championship The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship
16781-580: The former titles in 2014 and 2015 , and Rosberg winning the latter . Following Rosberg's retirement, Hamilton twice overturned mid-season point deficits to Ferrari 's Sebastian Vettel to claim his fourth and fifth titles in 2017 and 2018 . Hamilton won his sixth title in 2019 , before breaking several records across his 2020 campaign—including the all-time win record at the Portuguese Grand Prix —to equal Michael Schumacher 's record of seven World Drivers' Championships. Hamilton became
16954-504: The former was overtaken by Hamilton, resulting in a podium of Verstappen, Hamilton and Norris. Bottas took pole at the Portuguese Grand Prix . He kept his lead from Hamilton and Verstappen. On lap 2, Kimi Räikkönen made contact with his teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi , and was forced into retirement, while Giovinazzi could continue. Hamilton eventually overtook Bottas and won with Verstappen in second and Bottas in third. Pérez and Norris came fourth and fifth, respectively. Verstappen took
17127-506: The fourth multiple world champion representing the UK when he won his second title in 2014. The British Grand Prix has been won by eleven drivers representing the UK: Stirling Moss , Peter Collins , Clark, Stewart, Hunt, John Watson , Mansell, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert , David Coulthard , and Hamilton who have won the event 25 times between them. Ten other men representing the UK have also won Formula One races, but never
17300-453: The greatest Formula One driver of all time. Writing in Autocar , Jim Holden suggested Hamilton might not only be among the greatest British drivers in Formula One but 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
17473-466: The impressive British Grand Prix victory, where he won the race by over a minute from second-placed Nick Heidfeld , his drive was widely acclaimed as one of Formula One's finest wet-weather drives. As the season reached its conclusion in Brazil, it became a clear two-way fight for the title between the home favourite Felipe Massa and the young Briton. Hamilton won his first title in a dramatic fashion in
17646-451: The lapped cars separating Verstappen and Hamilton to un-lap themselves under the safety car, which closed the gap between the pair and allowed Verstappen, who opted to pit for soft tyres, to enter the final lap immediately behind Hamilton, who remained on 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, with
17819-497: The last race 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. This made Hamilton the first British driver to win the World Championship since Damon Hill in 1996. During his last four years with McLaren, Hamilton continued to score podium finishes and race victories, and twice challenged for
17992-426: The lead and win by over 30 seconds. His performance was contrasted with that of his team-mate Bottas, who spun four times and finished a lap down in 14th place. Hamilton cited the race as his "stand-out" performance of the season. Ayrton Senna was a major influence on Hamilton's driving style, recalling: "I think it's partly because I watched [him] when I was young and I thought 'this is how I want to drive when I get
18165-428: The lead on lap 1. A slow stop for Verstappen meant that he ended up alongside Hamilton after the latter made his pitstop. Hamilton and Verstappen collided, ending their races prematurely. Ricciardo led to the end to take his first victory since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and McLaren's first victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix . His teammate Norris finished a career-best second place, whilst Bottas came third from
18338-403: The lost time, overtaking Bottas on lap 44 and Hamilton on the penultimate lap, for his third win of the year and his thirteenth win overall. Hamilton, now 12 points behind in the Drivers' Championship, did secure second, and with an overtake on lap 49, Pérez managed to take third place, pushing Bottas to fourth. It was the first race of the season where the race winner also took pole position and
18511-447: The move as "one of the biggest driver transfer shocks the sport has known", recalling his similar shock move from McLaren to Mercedes back in 2013. This transition marks the first time in his Formula One career that Hamilton will not drive for a Mercedes-powered team. Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid, excelling across a wide range of areas. He has been described as having an aggressive driving style, with
18684-493: The new Qatar Grand Prix was announced in place of the cancelled Australian Grand Prix. The 2021 championship was originally due to introduce significant changes to the regulations, including the sport's governance, car designs and the sporting rules but these were delayed in March 2020 in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These rule changes were instead introduced in 2022 . The championship introduced
18857-424: The normal second practice session and the sprints ran over the least number of laps to exceed 100 km (62 mi), approximately one third of a normal race distance. The result of the sprint race determined the starting grid for the main race. Three points were awarded to the winner of the sprint race, two points to the runner-up, and one point to the third-placed finisher; sprint races were set to be expanded for
19030-494: The opportunity' and I went out there and tried it on the kart track. My whole approach to racing has developed from there." He has been compared to Senna in raw speed. In 2010, Hamilton drove Senna's original title-winning McLaren MP4/4 as part of a tribute documentary by the BBC motoring show Top Gear . In the documentary, along with fellow racing drivers, he named Senna as the number one driver ever. Earlier in his career, Hamilton
19203-405: The perceived 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. What strikes me now about him now is his maturity ... [Hamilton] recognises he is a role model and the influence he has and
19376-431: The pit exit, losing his front wing. On lap 31, at turn 7, Hamilton made a mistake, hitting the wall and damaging his front wing. After approximately a minute in the gravel, he rejoined. The moment he did, his teammate Bottas and George Russell had a crash at over 320 km/h (200 mph) on the start-finish straight, bringing out the red flag. After the race restarted, Norris overtook Charles Leclerc for second, but
19549-507: The pit straight, bringing out the safety car and then the red flag on lap 46 and 48, respectively. The race was restarted with two laps of racing left. Hamilton went up the inside of Pérez at the restart, but forgot to adjust his brake bias and missed the corner. Pérez won for the second time in his career and took his first win for Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel took Aston Martin's first podium in Formula One, while Gasly took his third career podium. In France , Verstappen got his second pole of
19722-455: The pits, Kimi Räikkönen was released into Nikita Mazepin 's path, putting Mazepin out of the race. The newly promoted Ocon held his lead until the end to take his first Formula 1 victory, finishing ahead of Vettel, and Hamilton, who had battled his way back up the classification, and Carlos Sainz Jr. Vettel was later disqualified for a fuel sample issue, promoting Hamilton to second and Sainz to third. Hamilton's recovery drive saw him retake
19895-517: The podium. Lando Norris finished in fourth and Pérez, after starting from last, recovered to fifth. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix , Hamilton took pole from Pérez and Verstappen. Verstappen went into the lead at turn 1 on lap 1, after it started raining on race day. Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi crashed at the exit of turn 13, bringing out the safety car. Under the safety car, Schumacher lost control of his car and spun into
20068-463: The race to take his maiden drivers' crown. Multiple race retirements, particularly in the crucial latter half of the season ultimately cost Hamilton the title. 2011 was the first season he had been out-scored by a teammate, as Button finished runner-up to 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. In
20241-399: The race was red-flagged; at this stage, Hamilton led from Ocon and Sebastian Vettel , with championship leader Verstappen, having acquired damage on the opening lap, in 13th. Hamilton was the only driver who did not choose to pit for slick tyres at the end of the formation lap, leaving him the only driver on the grid for the restart; this saw him drop to last when he pitted on the next lap. In
20414-473: The race. Verstappen won from Lewis Hamilton , meaning Verstappen extended his title lead to 18 points. Valtteri Bottas came third, taking his first podium since Spain. Verstappen took pole at the Austrian Grand Prix , the last race of the first triple header. On the first lap, Esteban Ocon retired with broken suspension. Lando Norris received a penalty after being judged to have forced Sergio Pérez off track. Pérez later received two penalties for doing
20587-410: The race. This marked the first world championship victory for a British car, fittingly driven by two British drivers at the British Grand Prix. Brooks retired from Formula One in 1961 over safety concerns saying "I felt I had a moral responsibility to take reasonable care of my life". David Coulthard came into F1 as a replacement for Ayrton Senna after Senna's death in 1994. He went on to finish in
20760-541: The responsibilities that come with it. He is far broader than purely a driver in [Formula One]. He has opinions about the environment, young people, fashion and music. That is part of the greater appeal of Lewis today. Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom There have been 163 Formula One drivers who have represented the United Kingdom, four of whom have competed in the 2024 Formula One World Championship . Ten World Champions have driven under
20933-559: The salaries of the team's top three executives. In addition, under a later agreement among the teams regarding the introduction of sprint qualifying races, each team received an additional $ 500,000 for the three sprint qualifying races on top of the current budget cap, and further flexibility on budget cap in case the cars got damaged during the sprint qualifying races. There were also additional restrictions dictating how prize money can be spent. The cap only applied to expenditure related to car performance, which remained in place until 2026. In
21106-509: The same to Charles Leclerc . Verstappen won the race from Bottas and Norris. Hamilton finished fourth, after picking up damage to the underside of his car, meaning that Verstappen was able to extend his championship lead to 32 points. Hamilton was fastest in qualifying to start in first place for the first ever sprint in the British Grand Prix . In the sprint, Verstappen made a better start than Hamilton and overtook him before
21279-544: The season British magazine Autosport featured him in their "Top 50 Drivers of 2005" issue, ranking Hamilton 24th. Hamilton moved to ASM's sister GP2 team, ART Grand Prix , for the 2006 season . Hamilton won the GP2 championship at his first attempt, beating Nelson Piquet Jr. and Alexandre Prémat . He secured a dominant win at the Nürburgring , despite a penalty for speeding in the pit lane . At his home race at Silverstone , Hamilton overtook two rivals at Becketts,
21452-508: The season's opening Grand Prix. However, several teams and drivers opted to accept the Bahrain government's offer. Max Verstappen took pole position on the opening round in Bahrain . On the formation lap, Sergio Pérez stalled at the last turn and was relegated to start in the pit lane, leaving his 11th place spot vacant. On the first lap, Nikita Mazepin spun at turn 3, crashing into
21625-606: The season, Hamilton and Alonso were involved in a number of incidents which resulted in tensions between both drivers and the team, culminating in Alonso and McLaren terminating their contract by mutual consent in November. Following a successful first season at McLaren, Hamilton signed a multi-million-pound contract to stay with the team until 2012. Partnering Heikki Kovalainen , Hamilton's success continued in 2008 as he amassed five race victories and ten podium finishes. Including
21798-408: The season, only to go wide at the first turn and lose the lead to Hamilton in the first lap. After regaining first with an undercut in his first pit stop, Verstappen found himself under heavy pressure from both Mercedes drivers. Verstappen relinquished his lead to pit a second time, one of two drivers to do so, returning to the track 18 seconds behind Hamilton. The speed advantage allowed him to make up
21971-475: The season, topping the standings until the half-way point; however, Vettel's season 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 at the Mexican Grand Prix for a second year running as he set a new record for the most points scored in a season (408). During the season, Hamilton signed
22144-404: The season, winning ten races finishing on the podium a record seventeen times as he matched his hero Ayrton Senna 's three World Championships titles, and achieved his first back-to-back championship. The rivalry between him and Rosberg intensified, climaxing in a heated battle at the United States Grand Prix where Hamilton won in an action-packed, wheel-to-wheel battle with his teammate to clinch
22317-471: The seats at the team while the other was filled by Nikita Mazepin , who finished fifth in the Formula 2 Championship. Yuki Tsunoda , who finished third in 2020 Formula 2 Championship, graduated to Formula One with Scuderia AlphaTauri , replacing Daniil Kvyat , who moved to Alpine as their reserve driver. Tsunoda became the first Japanese Formula One driver since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014 . During
22490-436: The sixth to award half-points as less than 75% of the race was completed. Verstappen won by default, with Russell in second and Hamilton in third place. It was Russell's first podium in Formula 1. As a result, Hamilton's lead in the championship was cut to three points from Verstappen. Verstappen would again take pole at the first Dutch Grand Prix to take place since 1985 at Zandvoort. He held his lead from Hamilton to take
22663-598: The sport for 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen . The following constructors and drivers were under contract to compete in the 2021 World Championship. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli . Each team was required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the two mandatory cars. Across the season, five drivers drove as a test or third driver in free practice sessions. Callum Ilott and Robert Kubica drove for Alfa Romeo Racing at two and three Grands Prix respectively, while Roy Nissany and Jack Aitken drove for Williams at three Grands Prix and at
22836-409: The sport's intention is to reduce the budget cap further in the coming years. The value of the budget cap was set for twenty-one races; each additional race increased the budget cap by $ 1 million, and vice versa: each race removed from the scheduled twenty-one race calendar deducted the budget cap by $ 1 million. However, the budget cap did not include marketing budget, drivers' salaries, and
23009-514: The sprint from last on the grid, but a five-place grid drop due to taking a new engine relegated him to tenth on the grid for the Grand Prix. On race day, both Verstappen and Pérez were able to overtake Bottas on the first lap. Meanwhile, Lando Norris and Sainz were involved in a separate incident, with Norris getting a puncture. On lap 48, Hamilton caught up to Verstappen and attempted an overtake, but failed and resulted in both of them going off track. Hamilton tried again on lap 59 and got past. He won
23182-446: The standings for the first time since 2016, finishing a career-worst sixth, 35 points behind Russell in fourth. Mercedes once again faced concerns over their car's competitiveness ahead of the 2023 season. Hamilton endured another winless campaign amidst Red Bull's record-breaking dominance, securing several podium finishes throughout. Hamilton took pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix —his first since 2021, and his record ninth at
23355-596: The steering wheel. The FIA introduced newly revised wing load tests mid-season at the French Grand Prix to clamp down on potentially excessively flexing rear wings. This comes after Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team had claimed, at the Spanish Grand Prix , that the rear wing of the Red Bull RB16B flexed significantly at high speed and load, allowing greater top speeds. Under 2021 Formula One regulations wings must be immobile and rigidly attached to
23528-729: The success in 1992 in some style, securing the title in August, the earliest that it had ever been decided. Mansell left to join CART in 1993, winning the championship in his debut season and making him the only person to hold both the CART and F1 titles at the same time. He briefly returned to Formula One for the end of the 1994 season and the start of 1995. Graham Hill started 176 races, all of which were in British-built cars. His long career lasted for 17 seasons, ending in 1975 when he died in
23701-442: The summer break, prevented Hamilton from maintaining his success, admitting he "didn't want to come back" for the final three races of the season after the São Paulo Grand Prix . Ferrari announced prior to the start of the 2024 season that they had reached an agreement with Hamilton to join the team in 2025 on a multi-year contract, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. to partner Charles Leclerc . Luke Smith of The Athletic described
23874-415: The time, would not fund him. Hamilton eventually re-signed with McLaren. According to then McLaren executive and future CEO Martin Whitmarsh , who was responsible for guiding Hamilton through the team's young driver programme, he and Anthony Hamilton had a "huge row" at the end of the season, with his father pushing for him to move up to GP2 for 2005, while Whitmarsh felt that he should remain in Formula 3 for
24047-595: The title despite Red Bull's dominance during that time-period. Major technical regulation changes in 2009 led to a challenging start for McLaren. Often qualifying outside of the top ten, and struggling to finish on points, Hamilton's chances of defending his title became unfeasible. Major upgrades at the German Grand Prix saw a dramatic improvement in performance of the McLaren MP4-24 . From that point onward, Hamilton advanced from eleventh to fifth in
24220-464: The title with only one race win, the other being Keke Rosberg . Though he won the season he was disillusioned with the sport, having seen Ferrari teammate Peter Collins die in an accident at Nürburgring . Hawthorn had been reluctant to complete the season and quit Formula One immediately after the final race. Just a few months later, in January 1959, Hawthorn died when his speeding Jaguar skidded off
24393-488: The title with three races to spare. That 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 best-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
24566-470: The title. Ultimately, a succession of poor starts from Hamilton early in the season and a crucial engine blowout at the Malaysian Grand Prix meant Rosberg took the title, which he successfully secured before announcing his shock retirement from the sport immediately after beating his rival. Following Rosberg's retirement, Ferrari's Vettel became Hamilton's closest rival as the pair exchanged
24739-523: The titles of Formula One World Champion Driver and Formula One World Champion Constructor , respectively. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing - Honda won the Drivers' Championship for the first time in his career, having claimed 10 race wins across the season. Verstappen became the first-ever driver from the Netherlands , the first Honda-powered driver since Ayrton Senna in 1991 , the first Red Bull driver since Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and
24912-437: The top-three in the world championship five times throughout his career. Compared to other British drivers, Coulthard had competed in the most races (246) and amassed the highest points total (535) at the time of his retirement at the end of the 2008 season . Jenson Button made his Formula One debut in 2000 at the age of 20, making him the youngest British driver to compete in the sport until Lando Norris made his debut in
25085-430: The track have been underappreciated. Holden has suggested that racial bias may have contributed towards Hamilton's perceived lack of popularity relative to his achievements, with Hamilton's race and physical appearance – being mixed-race and often seen sporting earrings, dreadlocks and designer clothing – alienating some of the sport's traditional white, elderly male fanbase. Others have attributed his lack of appreciation to
25258-441: The tyre to come off and Verstappen travelled into the barrier, causing the race to be stopped temporarily . Hamilton was penalised for the contact with a ten-second penalty, which he served during his pit stop. Leclerc led most of the Grand Prix, but finished second after Hamilton overtook Norris, Bottas, and Leclerc in the late stages to win the race. Hamilton reduced his gap to Verstappen from 33 points to eight points. Hamilton
25431-425: The tyre was moved 100 millimetres (3.9 in) inboard, making the floor edge a diagonal line when viewed from above. This change was expected to reduce downforce levels by 5%. Further, some slots on the edge of the floor were removed, brake duct winglets were narrowed by 40 millimetres (1.6 in) and diffuser fences were narrowed by 50 millimetres (2.0 in). These three changes have reduced downforce levels by
25604-402: The tyres have been fitted and tightened to the dropping of the jack and 0.2 seconds from the dropping of the jack to a car being released by the pit crew. The change was originally supposed to come in for the Hungarian Grand Prix , but was postponed. In a further clarification the FIA will have the means of ensuring the new tolerance limits are adhered to by using an intelligent wheel gun. It
25777-499: The win at his home race, taking over the lead of the championship by three points. Bottas came third, overtaking Norris, who finished tenth, in the standings for third place. Bottas won sprint qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix , but was forced to start from the back of the grid after exceeding the quota of one on his power units' components. Verstappen started at the front with the McLarens second and third. Daniel Ricciardo took
25950-446: The world title in his rookie season. He made up for this defeat in his second year, winning the 2008 title by a single point. He continued to race for McLaren until the end of the 2012 season, and won races in each of his six seasons with the team. He moved to Mercedes for the 2013 season and broke what had been Nigel Mansell's national record, with a total of 105 Grand Prix wins, the most in Formula One. Hamilton has been described as
26123-428: The years is how few mistakes he makes, how complete he is and clean ... he just never makes a mistake [in] wheel-to-wheel combat [or] in qualifying ... He just doesn't fade, mentally or physically." 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
26296-619: The youngest ever Formula One drivers, Hamilton replied that his goal was "not to be the youngest in Formula One" but rather "to be experienced and then show what I can do in Formula One". He made his debut with Manor in the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series , ending the year fifth in the championship. He also won the Bahrain F3 Superprix, and twice raced in the Macau F3 Grand Prix . Williams had come close to signing Hamilton but did not because BMW , their engine supplier at
26469-586: Was Nico Rosberg , who would later drive for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One; they would later 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. In 2001, Michael Schumacher made a one-off return to karts and competed against Hamilton along with other future Formula One drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg . Hamilton ended
26642-597: Was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship . It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport , as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars . The championship was contested over twenty-two Grands Prix , and held around the world. Drivers and teams competed for
26815-525: Was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976 . Hunt was notorious for his unconventional behaviour on and off the track, which earned him a reputation for cavalier indulgence in both alcohol and sex. Having been part of Formula One when the series was consolidating its global popularity, Hunt's image was the epitome of the unruly, playboy driver, with a touch of English eccentricity. The movie Rush
26988-411: Was able to start the race. He led for one lap before Hamilton got past on lap 2 at turn 1. Hamilton was held up in his pitstop to allow Gasly to pass him in the pitlane, handing Verstappen the net race lead. On lap 30, Lance Stroll crashed out due to a tyre failure and brought out the safety car. With Verstappen comfortably leading with six laps to go, he suffered a tyre failure, causing him to crash on
27161-437: Was acclaimed as one of his greatest performances—saw Hamilton eliminate a 19-point deficit to Verstappen, entering the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points. In Abu Dhabi, having led the majority of the race, Hamilton was denied the championship by a last-lap overtake from Verstappen following a late safety car. The season finale was marred by controversy over race director Michael Masi 's decision to instruct only
27334-402: Was again fastest in qualifying to take pole in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Rainy conditions at the start of the race led to Bottas misjudging his braking and sliding into the back of Norris; this escalated into multiple collisions which eventually eliminated five drivers: Bottas, Norris (who only retired on lap 3), Pérez, Lance Stroll and Leclerc. Due to the large amount of debris on the track,
27507-583: Was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council included the Chinese Grand Prix , which was due to take place on 11 April. However, the event was postponed and later cancelled, due to travel restrictions. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola , which was originally intended to be a one-off Grand Prix in 2020 , was retained in its place. Additionally,
27680-463: Was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage , Hertfordshire . His father, Anthony Hamilton, is of Afro-Grenadian descent, while his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British from Birmingham , making him mixed-race ; Hamilton's parents separated when he was two, after which he lived with his mother and older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, until he was twelve. Hamilton then lived with his father, stepmother Linda, and his half-brother Nicolas , who
27853-568: 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 describes him as "invariably
28026-410: Was denied. A review of the incident led to key structural changes to race control, including the removal of Michael Masi from his role as race director and the implementation of a virtual race control room, which assists the race director. This was the first season since 2008 where the champion driver was not from the team that took the constructors' title. The season was also the final season in
28199-666: Was educated at The John Henry Newman School , a voluntary aided Catholic secondary school in Stevenage. Hamilton has said that at the age of five he took up karate to defend himself as a result of bullying at school. He was also excluded from school for a period when he was mistakenly identified as having attacked a fellow student who was treated in hospital for his injuries. In addition to racing, he played association football for his school team with eventual England international , Ashley Young . Hamilton, an Arsenal fan, said that if Formula One had not worked for him, he would have been
28372-468: Was fastest in qualifying in Brazil , but was disqualified the following day for a technical infringement. Bottas won the qualifying sprint, giving him pole position for the Grand Prix. By finishing second in the sprint, Verstappen increased his championship lead over Hamilton by two points, and Carlos Sainz Jr. , who finished third, increased Ferrari's championship lead over McLaren. Hamilton finished fifth in
28545-467: Was forced into retirement after his front-right tyre would not come off during a routine pitstop. Verstappen took the victory, as well as the championship lead for the first time in his career; Red Bull came away from this race with a one-point lead in the Constructors' Championship. Behind Verstappen, Sainz took his first podium for Ferrari, and Norris took his second podium of the season in third place. Leclerc took pole again in Azerbaijan , this time he
28718-423: Was heavily affected by rain, which initially saw the start delayed by 25 minutes. After two formation laps behind the safety car, the race start was suspended and red-flagged due to poor conditions and lack of visibility. A nearly three-hour delay followed before the race was resumed. After a further three laps, the race was red-flagged again. It was not restarted, becoming the shortest race in Formula 1 history and
28891-600: 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. Through the 2015 season, he was in the top 10 of career wins and pole positions by percentage, average starting grid position, laps led per Grand Prix, fastest laps by percentage, and podium finishes by percentage. Hamilton dominated
29064-491: Was in their rookie season. Such rules were instead implemented for the 2022 season. Following the Mercedes tyre error during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix , where George Russell was given front tyres allocated to Valtteri Bottas during a pit stop, the FIA had adjusted the rules on tyre usage; drivers using mixed compound sets or using sets allocated to another driver on their cars were permitted to complete two laps before
29237-485: Was not replaced for the race as Haas did not field a third driver in free practice. The 2021 calendar consisted of twenty-two events, which were subject to the permissive COVID-19 regulations set by local governments and the Formula One Group. The British , Italian and São Paulo Grands Prix featured the sprint qualifying format. The following rounds were planned, but were cancelled in response to
29410-421: Was originally proposed that teams would be required to allow a driver who had competed in fewer than two Grands Prix to replace one of their race drivers in a Friday practice session over the course of the season. Whilst these rules were intended to give a chance to more non-Formula One drivers to test a Formula One car, the wording of this rule meant that teams satisfy the requirement if one of their regular drivers
29583-487: Was replaced by double World Champion Fernando Alonso , who drove in Alpine's first season, having last raced in 2018 for McLaren. Vettel moved to Aston Martin, where he replaced Sergio Pérez . Pérez, who had previously signed a contract to drive for Aston Martin's predecessor, Racing Point , until 2022, moved to Red Bull Racing where he replaced Alexander Albon , who was Red Bull Racing's reserve and test driver for
29756-510: Was six and promised to support his racing career as long as he worked hard at school. To support his son, Hamilton's father took redundancy from his position as an IT manager and became a contractor, sometimes working up to four jobs at a time including employment as a double glazing salesman, dishwasher, and putting up signs for estate agents , while still attending his son's races. Hamilton's father later set up his own IT company. He continued to be Hamilton's manager until early 2010. Hamilton
29929-401: Was widely acclaimed, with Joe Saward describing it as "one of his greatest performances". Despite only qualifying sixth for the race after Mercedes struggled with tyre temperatures and a track that lacked grip after being recently resurfaced, during the race he gambled on a one-stop strategy in mixed conditions whilst his rivals chose to change their tyres for a second time, enabling him to take
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