Sir Lewis Hamilton is a 39-year-old, 7-time World Champion F1 driver. With a Grenadian father and English mother, Lewis was born in Hertfordshire, England in January 1985. He has two older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, and a younger half-brother, Nicolas, who is a British Touring Car driver.
At the age of 8, Lewis began his motorsport career in go-karts. At 22, he was on the F1 grid in racing for McLaren, where he stayed until 2012 when he
(2020 in Istanbul, Turkey, Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) joined Mercedes. Lewis became the youngest-ever F1 World Champion in 2008 at the age of 23. With Mercedes, Lewis won 6 further WCs and beat the racing legend Michael Schumacher’s title for most race wins in F1, with a current standing of 103 race wins and 197 podiums.
In 2008, he was awarded “Member of the Order of the British Empire” and “Honorary Award” in Grenada and was made an honorary citizen of Brazil. He then went on to get knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2020, making him Sir Lewis Hamilton. To this day, Hamilton is the only black driver to race in F1, making him a positive representation of the black community. To raise more awareness, Lewis founded “Mission 44” in 2021, a charitable foundation that supports education and employment opportunities for underserved communities.
In breaking news, Lewis announced on February 1st, 2024 that he will be switching to Ferrari for the 2025 season. This is an unexpected and huge move for Lewis, as he has been with Mercedes for 9 years. Lewis has not won a race since 2021, which is something that he aims to change, and he feels as though Mercedes cannot offer up a winning car.
Still racing for Mercedes this 2024 season, Lewis commented ”I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.” In the last few years, Mercedes has been producing some lower-quality outcomes, so this change is understandable, as Lewis still has the potential to win his 8th WC. This change has been supported by the Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, a longtime friend and colleague, as Lewis raced for him in F3 and GP2 series.
His switch is not only a big move for Lewis, but also for current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, as Lewis will be taking his seat in 2025. Sainz has commented that he did know about the change before it was announced, describing it as “not being the best feeling”. He nevertheless totally respects the decision, commenting: “It’s a very important year, my last year with the team and I want to do the best I can. I’m training to prepare as best I can and give everything.” There are many teams that will be competing for Sainz next year, such as Aston Martin, Williams, and Sauber which will be known as Audi in 2026, so Sainz will surely still be seen on the grid in 2025.
The 2024 F1 Season starts on the 2nd of March, the opening race being in Bahrain. The season will be held in 21 countries, spanning 5 continents, with the 2024 season being the first with 24 races (usually 23). As of now, all 10 teams have revealed their 2024 cars and testing.
New to F1? Want to know how it works?
F1 is the pinnacle of motorsports, it is a display of new technologies and strategies being put together to form an incredibly high-speed sport. The current record for the fastest speeds hit during a race is held by Finish driver Valtteri Bottas, hitting 372.5km/h in the 2016 Mexican GP. F1 was first seen in 1950 and has since become the fifth most popular sport in the world, with an estimated 500 million fans. This season will have 10 teams and 20 drivers, all with the goal of becoming World Champions. The drivers represent 18 nationalities, so there may be a chance that you can support someone from your home country. Last year was a very successful year for Red Bull Racing and their leading driver, Max Verstappen, Where he claimed his 3rd WC title (Achieved by scoring the most points in the season), and led Red Bull to their 6th Constructors’ Championship (an award given to the team with the most points at the end of the season).
Lights out, and away we go!
