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97-653: In 1981 Gibson founded the Zytech Group with two main divisions: Zytek Automotive, based at Fradley , Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering , based at Repton, Derbyshire. In 2000, Motorola procured 19% of the Zytek Automotive and in 2006 this passed to Continental AG , a German engineering company, who purchased all of Motorola's automotive divisions & subsequently started raising their stock-holding of Zytek Automotive to 50%. Since 2014, Zytek Automotive has been part of Continental AG after they purchased

194-494: A 300-acre warehousing and distribution development, covers most of the former airfield. Tenants of Fradley Park include Tesco , Faurecia , Hellman Worldwide Logistics, NTN Bearings (UK) , Newell Rubbermaid , Caterpillar Logistics, Swish UK Zytek and Palletways Birmingham. Fradley was first mentioned in 1768 when the Engineer James Brindley won the contract to build the canal from Coventry, to link with

291-502: A civil parish in its own right, on 25 March 1884 the parish was abolished and merged with Alrewas, on 1 February 1996 that "Alrewas" was renamed " Alrewas and Fradley ", on 1 April 2009 it became part of " Fradley and Streethay ". Fradley once again became a separate parish on 1 April 2023. Following the completion of the Stirling Centre near Fradley South in 2009, comprising retail units, offices and food outlets, Fradley

388-472: 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

485-531: 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

582-589: 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

679-591: 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

776-552: 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,

873-568: 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

970-463: 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 the attention of Ron Dennis , who signed him

1067-432: 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

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1164-418: 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

1261-436: 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

1358-470: 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

1455-581: 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

1552-437: 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

1649-555: 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

1746-502: 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

1843-470: 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

1940-500: 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 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

2037-459: 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

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2134-637: Is close to the A38 road Ryknild Street (which became a dual-carriageway in 1958) and is served by bus services to Lichfield and Burton upon Trent . A railway line passes close to the eastern side of the village but no station exists in Fradley, the nearest passenger station is now Lichfield Trent Valley railway station serving the West Coast Main Line , the London-Crewe line and acting as

2231-403: 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 ,

2328-488: Is set to join Ferrari from 2025 onwards. Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One's global following by appealing to 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

2425-491: The 100 most influential people globally , and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours . Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton 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

2522-406: 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

2619-485: 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

2716-422: 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

2813-624: 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

2910-600: 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

3007-633: 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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3104-532: 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

3201-560: The Jaguar XJ220 sports car. This led to further collaborations with automobile manufacturers. Zytek has been developing vehicle electrification and electronics for road vehicles since 1997. Its first notable project was the Aston Martin DB7 engine management system and it has since gone onto collaborate with Jaguar Land Rover , Aston Martin , Rolls-Royce Bentley and Dodge . In 2001 Zytek worked with GM to assist with

3298-601: The Le Mans Series , Formula 3000 , Auto GP and the Renault FR3.5 Series. During the 1990s, Zytek also developed high power-density electric vehicle drivetrains , creating what was the highest power-density EV drivetrain at the time. Zytek's success in motorsport led to working with road cars on the Proto ESX HEV Series hybrid drivetrain design, and the creation of engine management systems for

3395-917: 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 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

3492-633: The Modec electric vehicle is designed and manufactured in house by Zytek, as well as the drivetrain in the E Vito Taxi. Zytek works with the EV conversion company RBW Classic Electric Cars to provide EV drivetrains. In the early 2010s Zytek collaborated with Audi on the key electrification technology for the Audi R8 e-tron which set records for the fastest production electric car at the Nürburgring . The car

3589-583: 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

3686-713: The Super GT racing series in Japan, Zytek developed an ERS system For the Honda 300/500. The developed hybrid system was retrofitted to Honda's existing platform. Zytek also has worked with Formula 3000 , Le Mans Series , Renault FR3.5 Series and the Auto GP Championships. 2014 saw Zytek engaged as the electric inverter and motor supplier to a team in the first season of Formula E . This engagement saw Zytek having to deliver race-worthy systems in six months. It

3783-570: 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

3880-558: 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

3977-535: The A38. Sheasby Park, a large development in the south of the village, is under development and will introduce 624 new houses to the village. Additionally further housing development is in progress to the north of the canal. Fradley is served by Diamond bus services 12 and 12E connecting to Lichfield and Burton . These were previously operated by Midland Classic prior to the depot being sold. Since 2024, Select Bus Services have operated service 33 between Lichfield and

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4074-630: 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

4171-512: 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

4268-452: 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

4365-628: The Toleman-Hart car driven by Ayrton Senna , Zytek developed the first fully electronic engine management system within Formula One . In 2009, for Mercedes/McLaren driven by Lewis Hamilton , Zytek developed the first kinetic energy recovery system to win an F1 race. Since 2014 Zytek has developed vehicle electrification technology within Formula E as an electric inverter and motor supplier. Its customer included 4 out of 6 drivers and manufacturers championships and 16 race wins. For

4462-511: The Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. It was not until 1783 that this canal was completed, meeting the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction. arish Council [REDACTED] Media related to Fradley at Wikimedia Commons Lewis Hamilton 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

4559-494: 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

4656-522: 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

4753-536: The all-time win record at the Portuguese Grand Prix —to equal Michael Schumacher 's record of seven World Drivers' Championships. Hamilton became 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

4850-482: 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

4947-411: 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

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5044-550: The creation on a new concept hybrid truck, the electrification system offering fuel efficiency saving in day-to-day use as part of a turnkey hybrid development programme. In 2006, Zytek converted one hundred Smart Fortwo to fully electric vehicles, which took part in UK market trials as lease vehicles from 2007 to 2009. In 2009 Zytek developed a hydrogen fuel cell concept with Morgan, the EV3. The 70 kW integrated drivetrain installed in

5141-602: 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

5238-626: 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 ,

5335-422: 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

5432-433: 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

5529-497: 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

5626-455: 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

5723-467: 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

5820-504: 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

5917-569: 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

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6014-430: 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

6111-452: 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

6208-726: The new Anson Gardens/Fradley Manor estate. Construction on the Fradley Aerodrome (known as RAF Lichfield) started in 1939 and in August 1940 the Royal Air Force moved in, along with Hawker Hurricane , Airspeed Oxford and Avro Anson aircraft. Spitfire arrived in 1941 and Vickers Wellington aircraft followed in 1942. Alongside RAF personnel training in the Wellingtons, there were a large number of Australians and some Canadians and Czechs. The RAF left in 1958 and

6305-399: The newer Fradley South area which began development in the early 2000s and continues to be developed as of 2020. It is also located 9 miles (14 km) from Burton-on-Trent and 10 miles (16 km) from Rugeley . Fradley first appeared in 12th-century records as 'Frodeleye', or 'Frod's lea'. Fradley was formerly a township and chapelry in the parish of Alrewas, from 1866 Fradley was

6402-498: 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

6499-407: 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

6596-465: 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

6693-702: The research and development project allowed the consortium to develop a prototype that was unveiled at the Royal Automobile Club in June 2011. The T.27 road debut was held in November 2011 at the RAC Future Car Challenge . As of 2011, Gordon Murray Design was negotiating with three manufacturers for possible production of the T.27. Zytek first started working in motorsport in 1981 specialising in engine management systems. In 1984, for

6790-489: 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,

6887-551: 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

6984-477: 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

7081-405: 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

7178-448: 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

7275-446: 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

7372-685: 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 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

7469-775: The terminus for the Cross-City Line . From 1849 until 1965, Alrewas railway station on the South Staffordshire Line was the closest passenger station to Fradley but was closed on 18 January 1965 by the British Railways Board. The Coventry Canal runs through the village and merges with the Trent and Mersey Canal at nearby Fradley Junction . Several bridges cross the Coventry Canal in Fradley, including Bell Bridge which carries

7566-471: 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

7663-596: 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

7760-492: 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

7857-474: 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

7954-434: 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

8051-481: The whole business. Zytek Engineering , the other part of the Zytek Group, remained under Gibson's leadership and was renamed Gibson Technology on 1 October 2014 When Zytek was founded in 1981 the initial company focus was on engine management systems for motorsport. By 1987 Zytek had expanded its operations to include race car engines as a specialty, working with teams and supporting championships such as

8148-502: The whole site was sold by the Air Ministry in 1962. St. Stephen's Church is home to the war graves of a number of Australian aircrew and one German Luftwaffe pilot who lost their lives during World War II. In 2000 a memorial to all who served at RAF Lichfield was constructed in Fradley. In 1998 major redevelopment started on the former airfield, with the construction of factories, warehouses and 750 new houses. Today Fradley Park,

8245-429: 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

8342-624: 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

8439-587: 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

8536-523: Was a supplier in further seasons with the Formula E World Champions . Fradley Fradley is a village and civil parish , in the Lichfield district, in the county of Staffordshire , England. In 1881 the parish had a population of 380. The village is about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of the Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas , consisting of two discrete areas, the older Fradley Village (signposted locally as simply "Fradley") and

8633-440: 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

8730-549: Was also featured in the Iron Man movie. The current family of electric motors ranges up to 170 kW. Launched in 2011 with Gordon Murray Design , Zytek helped develop the Gordon Murray T.27 all-electric three seater road car. With a total cost of £9m, the T.27 was made possible via £4.5m of investment from the UK government backed Technology Strategy Board . With a total cost of £9m ( US$ 14.4 million in June 2010),

8827-569: 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

8924-670: 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

9021-463: Was formally re-categorised as a 'key rural settlement'. Fradley has its own village hall which was completed in the early 2000s and an additional community hall on adjacent land. The village church, St. Stephen's Church, was built in 1861 on the corner of Church Lane and Old Hall Lane. A Victorian schoolhouse, which had stood beside the church since 1875, was demolished in 2008 to make room for modern classrooms at St. Stephen's Primary School. Fradley

9118-654: 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

9215-612: Was subjected to racist abuse. Hamilton's father bought him a go-kart for Christmas when he 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

9312-417: Was twelve. Hamilton then lived with his father, stepmother Linda, and his half-brother Nicolas , who 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

9409-402: 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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