Hamilton started the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from 18th place on the grid. Hamilton finished the race in third place after Jarno Trulli was penalized. Trulli had passed Hamilton while behind the safety-car. There was a post-race stewards' hearing. Hamilton and McLaren told the stewards they did not let Trulli pass. The McLaren radio communication proved that was a lie. Hamilton was disqualified from the race for providing "misleading evidence" during the stewards' hearing. He later apologized in private to FIA race director Charlie Whiting for lying.
During the next six races, Hamilton did not perform well. He qualified outside the top ten three more times, with fifth place his best start. He only scored a few points. At Nürburgring he qualified fifth. On the first lap he and Mark Webber hit each other. Hamilton had a flat tyre and damaged his car. He finished 18th.
Hamilton's performance improved at the Hungaroring. Hamilton started fourth. A good start with a KERS assisted car start moved him to second place by the first corner. By lap 13 he was leading the race. He finish 11.5 seconds ahead of Räikkönen. It was Hamilton's 10th career win and the first for a KERS-equipped car. In Valencia, Hamilton qualified on pole position for the first time in the season, and his team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen qualified second. In the race a poor pit stop by the mechanics lost Hamilton first place. He finished second.
Hamilton crashed out of the next two races, the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. This removed any chance of defending his title. In September, at the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton took his second win of the season. He finished third at the next two races, the Japanese and Brazilian Grands Prix. In the inaugural (first ever) Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified on the pole. He led the race, but retired on lap 20 due to a rear brake problem. This was his first mechanical-related retirement in Formula One.
After a difficult 2009 season, Hamilton set out with a new challenge for the title. He finished third in Bahrain. In Australia, Hamilton failed to make the top ten in qualifying. He starting the race from eleventh place on the grid, and ending the race in sixth place. He had a late-race collision with Mark Webber. At Malaysia, McLaren misjudged the weather during qualifying, and let Hamilton go out on the wrong tyres for the wet conditions. He started 20th on the grid for the race, but came through with a sixth place finish. Hamilton was given a warning during the race. He weaved four times trying to break the aerodynamic tow of Vitaly Petrov. Hamilton was not trying to block him. After the race the rules were clarified. A driver may weave only once, even to break a tow.
In Shanghai, Hamilton finished in second place, behind teammate Jenson Button. This was McLaren's first 1-2 finish for two and a half years. Hamilton was involved in a pit lane incident with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. Both drivers received a reprimand from race stewards.
Hamilton qualified third for the Spanish Grand Prix. Near the end of the race he was running in second behind Mark Webber. Hamilton had already set the fastest lap of the race. The next to the last lap of the race, he ran off the track and hit the wall. The left front suspension was destroyed and Hamilton was out of the race. The wheel rim had failed and destroyed the tyre, sending Hamilton out of control. He was classified with a 14th place finish.
The next weekend at Monaco Hamilton and teammate Jenson Button raced with a diamond encrusted steering wheel. Hamilton's steering wheel had the year "08" placed on it in diamonds for his championship in 2008. Button had the year "09" on his wheel for his championship in 2009. Hamilton qualified and finished fifth. For the Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified a season's best second. Hamilton was running in second place when Vettel and Webber collided with each other on Lap 40. That moved Hamilton into first place. Jenson Button was then in second place. They passed each other once before the end of the race. Hamilton took his first victory of the 2010 season, moving him to third in the Drivers Championship.
Hamilton qualified on pole for the Canadian Grand Prix. He has started from the pole at every of his F1 races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Hamilton won the race and moved into the lead the Drivers Championship.
A day after the Grand Prix Hamilton flew back into the UK and drove Ayrton Senna's championship winning McLaren MP4/4. Hamilton was clearly excited and overcome with emotion. He described it as 'one of the best days of his life'. He also stated that he had 'ticked off one of his dreams' by driving the car.
Hamilton qualified third in Valencia. He passed Mark Webber at the start of the race. During a safety car period, Hamilton passed the second safety car line about 0.5 seconds after the safety car exited the pits. Hamilton passed the safety car instead of slowing down to follow the safety car. Fernando Alonso was behind Hamilton and had to remain behind the safety car. Alonso complained on the radio to his team. The stewards investigated the incident and penalized Hamilton with a drive through penalty. There was a 20 minutes before the penalty was announced. This allowed Hamilton to build up a large gap with the car behind him. When he served his penalty, he stayed in second place. This made Alonso and the Ferrari team mad. Hamilton then accused Alonso of "sour grapes". Hamilton and Alonso made-up before the next race. Hamilton finished second and retained his lead in the drivers championship.
He finished second at Silverstone and fourth at Hockenheim. In Hungary, Hamilton qualified fifth but retired during the race due to engine problems. He lost the championship lead to Webber.
After the one month long summer break, Hamilton won the Belgium Grand Prix and set the fastest lap. This moved him into first place in the championship. But at both the Italian and Singapore Grands Prix, he retired from the race. This has moved him into third place.
Hamilton won 4 out of 6 races so far in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton has matched or set the following records in Formula One:
In his debut season, Hamilton took the record of Youngest World Drivers' Championship runner-up, at 22 years and 288 days, previously held by Kimi Räikkönen at 23 years and 360 days. In 2009, this record was taken by Sebastian Vettel, who was 22 years and 122 days when he secured runner-up position in the championship.
Hamilton is the first driver of black heritage to compete in Formula One (although Willy T. Ribbs tested an F1 car in 1986). He is the first driver of black heritage to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in any discipline. In addition, he is the third youngest driver to achieve an F1 pole position, and the fourteenth F1 driver to achieve a podium finish on his debut.
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress.
Todd Bentley
Todd Bentley (born 1976) claims to be a Canadian Evangelical Christian and practiced as an Evangelist before being denounced. He was one of the main preachers who are part of the Charismatic revival meetings in Lakeland, Florida known as the Florida Healing Outpouring. Attendance at the meetings was as high as 10,000 visitors a night from around the world. Todd Bentley has since been denounced as a false prophet by Christian communities.