Who is Lewis Hamilton of Formula 1?

Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver programme in 1998 at the age of 13, becoming the youngest racing driver ever to be contracted by a Formula One team. This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren for six years from 2007 to 2012, making Hamilton the first ever black driver to race in the series. In his inaugural season, Hamilton set numerous records as he finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. The following season, he won his maiden title in dramatic fashion—making a crucial overtake at the last corner on the last lap of the last race of the season—to become the then-youngest Formula One World Champion in history. After six years with McLaren, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013.

Changes to the regulations for 2014 mandating the use of turbo-hybrid engines saw the start of a highly successful period for Hamilton, during which he won six further drivers' titles. Consecutive titles came in 2014 and 2015 during an intense rivalry with teammate Nico Rosberg. Following Rosberg's retirement in 2016, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel became Hamilton's closest rival in two championship battles, in which Hamilton twice overturned mid-season point deficits to claim consecutive titles again in 2017 and 2018. His third and fourth consecutive titles followed in 2019 and 2020 to equal Schumacher's record of seven drivers' titles. Hamilton achieved his 100th pole position and race win during the 2021 season.

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, environmental and social activism, and exploits in music and fashion. He has also become a prominent advocate in support of activism to combat racism and push for increased diversity in motorsport. Hamilton was the highest-paid Formula One driver from 2013 to 2021, and was ranked as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by Forbes of twenty-tens decade and 2021. He was also 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. Hamilton was granted honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022.