Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton MBE (born January 7, 1985) is an English rider competing in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Petronas. Formula One World Champion four times, he is often regarded as the best racer of his generation and is widely regarded as one of the greatest racers in sports history. He won his first World Championship title with McLaren in 2008, then moved to Mercedes where he won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 before winning his fourth title in 2017. Britain's most successful British racers statistics, Hamilton has more World Championship titles (4) and more race wins (64) than any other British racer in Formula One. He also holds the record for the greatest career points of all time (2,720), winning the most on the different circuits (25), the all-time leading position (74) and the biggest grand slam of the season (3).
Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton's interest in racing began when his father bought him a radio-controlled car when he was six years old. He signed a contract with McLaren's young driver support program in 1998, after he approached McLaren team head Ron Dennis at an award ceremony three years earlier and said "someday I want to race your car". After winning the British Formula Renault, Formula 3 Euro Series and GP2 championship on his way up the racing career ladder, she made her Formula Twelve debut after her first meeting with Dennis, driving for McLaren in 2007. Derived from a mixed background, with her father and white mother, Hamilton is the first and only black racer to race in Formula One.
In his first season in Formula One, Hamilton scored many records when he was runner-up in the 2007 season for Kimi RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen with just one point, including for the most sequential podium finish of debut (9), along with most wins in season debut (4) and most points in the debut season (109). The following season, he won his first title in dramatic fashion; at the last lap of the last lap in the final race of the season, became the youngest Formula One World Champion in history. After four more years with McLaren without finishing higher than fourth in the drivers' standings, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013, reuniting with his childhood karting partner Nico Rosberg. In his first season, he finished 4th once again, the third time in five years.
Two successful seasons followed when Hamilton won the second and third titles. Hamilton won 11 races in 2014, in a very fierce championship battle with Nico Rosberg, deciding on the final race of the season, where Hamilton secured his second World Championship title by winning the race. The following season saw Hamilton seal his third World Championship title with three races remaining, in a season where he finished the podium with a record 17 times and equaled three World Championships belonging to his hero Ayrton Senna. After finishing runner-up to Nico Rosberg in 2016, Hamilton won his fourth title in 2017, joining Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as drivers with four or more World Championship titles. Early life
Hamilton was born on January 7, 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Although widely reportedly named after American runner Carl Lewis, Hamilton says this is not the case. Hamilton's mother, Carmen (Larbalestier), white-skinned English, while her father, Anthony Hamilton, a black Englishman, made her a mixed race; he identifies himself as black. Lewis's parents parted when he was two years old; as a result of this, she lived with her mother and her half-brother until she was twelve years old, when she began living with her father, Linda's stepmother and half-brother Nicolas, as well as a professional racer who possessed cerebral palsy. In early 2011, Nicolas signed a contract with Total Control Racing to start his racing career at the 2011 Renault Clio Cup. Hamilton was raised a Roman Catholic.
Hamilton's father bought him a radio-controlled car in 1991, which gave him a sense of racing competition first. Hamilton came second in the national BRCA championship the following year. He said of the time: "I race remote-control cars and win club championships against adults". As a result, his father bought him his first go-kart as a Christmas present at the age of six. His father told him that he would support his racing career as long as he worked hard in school. To support his son, Anthony took over from his position as information technology manager and became a contractor; sometimes working up to three jobs at once, while still attending all the races of his son. Anthony then set up his own computer company, still managing Lewis. Lewis ended his relationship with his father in early 2010 and signed a management agreement in March 2011 with company Simon Fuller XIX Entertainment. In November 2014, Hamilton announced that he would not renew his management contract with Fuller.
Lewis Hamilton was educated at The John Henry Newman School, a volunteered Catholic secondary school in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. In addition to racing, he plays a football association for his school team with England international midfielder Ashley Young. Hamilton, an Arsenal fan, said that if Formula One did not work for him, he would be a football player or a cricketer, after playing for his school team. In February 2001 he began studying at Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), a private sixth form institution at Cambridge. At the age of five, Hamilton took karate in self-defense as a result of bullying at school; then, he learned to ride a tricycle, as part of his karting competition with his future Mercedes-Benz teammate Nico Rosberg, who was already able to ride it.
Video Lewis Hamilton
Initial career
1993-2000: Karting
Hamilton started karting in 1993, when he was eight years old, at Rye House Kart Circuit and quickly started winning the Cadet class race and championship. Two years later, he approached McLaren F1 team boss Ron Dennis for his signature, and told him, "Hi, I'm Lewis Hamilton, I won the British Championships and one day I want to race your car." Dennis writes in his signature book, "Call me in nine years, we'll get it done." Hamilton was driving for Tim Zip Young Guns Karting Martin Hines. At age 12, his driving skills were high enough that Ladbrokes took the bet, with a 40/1 chance, that Hamilton would win the Formula 1 Grand Prix race before the age of 23; another predictable, with the possibility of 150/1, that he would win the Driver World Championships before he was 25. From the Cadet lineup he advanced to Junior Yamaha (1997) and Dennis was actually called Hamilton in 1998 after he won an additional Super One series and his second British championship. Dennis delivered his promise and signed Hamilton for the McLaren driver development program. This contract includes the option of F1 seats in the future, which will eventually make Hamilton the youngest driver ever to secure a contract which then produces the F1 drive.
Hamilton continued his progress at Intercontinental A (1999), Formula A (2000) and Formula Super A (2001), and became European Champion in 2000 with maximum points. In Formula A and Super A Formula, racing for TeamMBM.com, teammate is Nico Rosberg who will then drive for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One; they will then work together again for Mercedes in 2013. After a successful karting, the English Racing Driver's 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 F1 drivers of the future, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton finished the final in seventh, four places behind Schumacher. Although the two saw each other on the track Schumacher praised the young British racer (see quotation box).
2001-2005: Formula Renault and Formula Three
Hamilton started his car racing career at the 2001 Formula Renault Winter Formula 2001 Formula. Despite crashing on his third lap in the car during his trial, he completed his fifth overall series in the winter series. This led to the full 2002 campaign of Formula Renault UK with Manor Motorsport. Hamilton finished third overall with three wins and three pole positions. He remained with Manor for another year and won the championship with ten wins and 419 points to two wins and 377 points from his closest rival, Alex Lloyd. After winning the championship, Hamilton missed the last two races of the season to make his debut in the final of the British Formula 3 season. Here he was less successful: in the first race he was forced out with a puncture, and in the second he fell out and was taken to the hospital after a collision with his team-mate Tor Graves. He showed his speed at the Macau Grand Prix and Korea Super Prix, in the second half he qualified at pole position in his first visit to the track and only on his fourth F3 race. Asked in 2002 about the prospect of being one of the youngest Formula One racers, Hamilton replied that his goal "not being the youngest in F1... [but] must be experienced and then show what I can do in F1".
Then in 2004, Williams will announce that they have approached the signing of Hamilton but not because BMW, their engine supplier at the time, will not fund it. He finally signed a contract with McLaren, and debuted with Manor in Formula 3 Euro 2004 Series. They won one race and Hamilton ended the fifth year in the championship. He also won the Bahrain F3 Superprix and raced one of the Macau F3 Grand Prix. Hamilton was first tested for McLaren in late 2004 at Silverstone.
Hamilton moved to ASM Series Euro champions for the 2005 season and dominated the championship, winning 15 of 20 rounds. It will be 16 but because it was disqualified from a win at Spa-Francorchamps on a technical breach that captured several other riders. He also won the Formula 3 Marlboro Masters in Zandvoort. After the season of British magazine Autosport showcased him in their "50 Top Drivers 2005" issue, ranked Hamilton's 24th.
2006 season: GP2
Due to his success in Formula Three, he moved to ASM's sister team GP2, the ART Grand Prix for 2006. Like their sister team at F3, ART are field leaders and defending champions after winning the 2005 GP2 crown with Nico Rosberg. Hamilton won the GP2 championship on his first attempt, beating Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Timo Glock.
Hamilton's appearance included a dominant victory in the NÃÆ'¼rburgring, though there was a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. At the race at his home in Silverstone, supporting the British Grand Prix, Hamilton beat two rivals in Becketts, a series of high speeds (up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) in GP2 cars) bends where overtaking is rare. In Istanbul he recovered from a round that put him in the eighteenth position to take second place in the final corner. Hamilton won the title in an unusual circumstance, inheriting the ending point he needed after Giorgio Pantano was stripped of the fastest lap in the Monza feature race. In the race run, although he finished second with Piquet sixth, he is 12 points away from his rival.
The 2006 GP2 championship coincided with a vacancy at McLaren following the departure of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi RÃÆ'¤kkÆ'¶¶nen to Ferrari. After months of speculation about whether Hamilton, Pedro de la Rosa or Gary Paffett will be paired with defending champion Fernando Alonso for 2007, Hamilton is confirmed as both drivers of the team. He was informed of McLaren's decision at the end of September, but the news was not published for nearly two months, for fear that it would be overshadowed by Michael Schumacher's pension announcement.
Maps Lewis Hamilton
Career Formula One
McLaren
season 2007: The record breaking first
In his first season in Formula 1, Hamilton partnered with defending world champion Fernando Alonso who joined McLaren after leaving Renault. On his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, he finished third in the race, becoming the 13th rider to finish on the podium on his debut (excluding them in the first round of the World Championship). In Bahrain and Barcelona, ​​Hamilton finished second behind Felipe Massa to lead at the drivers' championship, which means Hamilton became the youngest driver ever to lead the World Championships.
Hamilton finished second behind Alonso in Monaco and after that he suggested he was prevented from racing his teammate. The FIA ​​cleared McLaren after the investigation. Hamilton had his first pole position and his first career victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. A week later Hamilton won the US Grand Prix, becoming the first British rider since John Watson in 1983 to win the F1 race in the US.
With a third finish at Magny-Cours behind Ferrari riders Kimi RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen and Felipe Massa, Hamilton extended his lead in the drivers' championship to 14 points. In the first Grand Prix at Hamilton's home at Silverstone he finished third and equaled Jim Clark's 1963 record of 9 consecutive podiums for the Briton.
During qualifying for the European Grand Prix, Hamilton fell on the Schumacher chicane after a problem with the wheel nuts caused by the wheel gun used on his car. He was taken to the medical center on the circuit with a stretcher with an oxygen mask and drip, but conscious throughout. He can not complete the qualification so it starts in tenth position. After the final medical examination on Sunday morning, Hamilton was released for the race. During a heavy rain storm that eventually stopped the race, Hamilton slid into a gravel trap, but as he continued to run his engine, he was reappointed to the circuit and able to rejoin the race after the restart. His ninth finish in this race was his first non-podium and non-point. Controversially, Hamilton became the first racer and his only car was discovered by a heron and put back on track during the Formula One race. The FIA ​​then banned the use of mechanical assistance to move the car back on track afterward.
Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole position following a controversial qualifying session. Alonso had set the fastest time but was relegated five places in the sixth grid to prevent Hamilton from leaving the pit lane in time to complete his final qualifying round. After the race, Hamilton stated that he had restored his relationship with Alonso. At the Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton suffered a puncture which resulted in a fifth finish. Alonso beat Hamilton at the Italian and Belgian Grand Prix, leaving Hamilton with a two-point lead in the title race. He extended his lead to 12 points after winning the Japanese Grand Prix in heavy rain after Alonso fell. After the race, Hamilton was investigated by the race keeper for his involvement in the incident behind the safety car; both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber fall out of the race as they follow but the trio are cleared on Friday of the Chinese Grand Prix. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton started from the pole but failed to finish after McLaren left him for too long on a worn tire (despite a suggestion from Bridgestone), and he slid into a pebble trap as he came to the pit lane. Hamilton then went into the final race of the season four and seven points ahead of Alonso and RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen respectively.
In the Brazilian Grand Prix Hamilton finished seventh and RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen won, which meant Hamilton finished second in the championship by one point. On Hamilton's first lap passed by several cars and down to eighth position; eight laps later he could not pick teeth and ended up skating for 40 seconds. He recovered to seventh place but Ferrari switched two of their drivers enabling the championship to go to RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. Hamilton took the record for the youngest World Championship racer, at 22 years and 287 days, previously held since 1960 by Bruce McLaren in 23 years and 5 days; Note Hamilton has been beaten by Sebastian Vettel in 2009.
In October, the FIA ​​began investigating BMW Sauber and Williams for irregularities in fuel; BMW drivers have finished in fifth and sixth place, and if they will be excluded Hamilton will be promoted to fifth and will win the 2007 World Driver Championship by one point above RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. In the end no team was punished; McLaren appealed. Hamilton then told the BBC he did not want to win the F1 title through disqualification of other drivers.
Team tension
Hamilton's long relationship with Dennis began to fluctuate with the first public indication that Hamilton was unhappy with the team that emerged after he finished second at Monaco in 2007. After a post-race comment made by Hamilton suggesting he had been forced into a supporting role, the FIA ​​investigated whether McLaren breaking the rules by enacting team orders. McLaren denied support for double world champion Fernando Alonso, and the FIA ​​later confirmed the team, stating that: "McLaren are able to pursue an optimal team strategy because they have a great advantage over all other cars They do not do anything that can be described as a bully. race ".
Tensions resurfaced at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the final qualifying session for Hamilton races were delayed at the pit by Alonso and thus were unable to set the final lap time before the end of the session. McLaren pointed out that Hamilton had broken previous instructions to let Alonso qualify for fear of losing his own position. Alonso was relegated to sixth place on the starting grid, thus lifting Hamilton (who initially qualified second) for the first, while McLaren docked the Constructors Championship points. Hamilton said he thought Alonso's penalty was "pretty light if anything" and just regretted the loss of constructor points. Hamilton is reported to have sworn at Dennis on team radio after the incident. The British motorsport journal Autosport claims that this "[directs] Dennis to throw his headphones on the pit wall in disgust (a movement misinterpreted by many in reaction to Alonso's pole)". But McLaren later issued a statement on behalf of Hamilton who denied any profanity. As a result of these events, the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso temporarily collapsed, with the couple not speaking in a short time. It was later reported that Hamilton had been targeted by Luca di Montezemolo regarding the Ferrari drive for 2008.
The rivalry between Hamilton and team-mate Alonso led to speculation that someone would leave McLaren at the end of the season. Alonso and McLaren then ended their contract with a joint agreement in November.
2008 season: Youngest world champion
A month after Alonso's departure, it was confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen would drive a second car for McLaren-Mercedes in 2008 with Hamilton, who signed a new five-million-pound five-year deal to stay with McLaren-Mercedes until the end of the 2012 season.
Hamilton won the first race of the 2008 season, the Australian Grand Prix, having qualified in pole position. In Malaysia, he finished fifth after he started from ninth on the grid, serving a penalty for hindering Nick Heidfeld's last lap. He returned to the podium in Spain with a third finish. Hamilton finished second in Turkey, and won the Monaco Grand Prix, placing him in the lead of the championship. In Montreal, Hamilton bumped into the back of the RÃÆ'¤kkkÆ'n¶nen during the race, having failed to see that Finn was waiting at a red light at the end of the pit lane as the entire field flashed under the safety guidelines of the car. Both cars were forced to retire and Hamilton awarded a 10-position grid penalty for the next race, the French Grand Prix. Despite the error in qualifying that saw him start fourth on the grid, Hamilton then won the British Grand Prix in difficult conditions, wet in a performance that is considered to be one of the best in his career so far. In the next race at Hockenheim, Hamilton won the race despite a tactical error by his team strategist.
Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix, but was later judged to have gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane to avoid hitting RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. McLaren said that their telemetry showed Hamilton backing away to allow RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen to pass but Hamilton was given a 25-second penalty, which drove him to third place and handed the Massa a victory. Hamilton's lead in the Drivers' Championship was cut to two points, and the appeal by McLaren to the FIA ​​World Motor Sport Council was denied.
The Italian Grand Prix saw Hamilton finish in seventh place, and Hamilton's lead in the championship was reduced to one point. Hamilton finished third in the next race in Singapore, while Massa failed to score points, allowing Hamilton to boost his championship lead to seven points. At Fuji, Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty to force another car out of the track when he made a mistake on the first lap. Before he could serve the sentence, Hamilton tried to get through Massa, who beat him after making a mistake. The masses were then given a drive-through penalty for this move and Hamilton finished twelfth. With just two races, Hamilton leads the World Championships with five points from Massa. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton won the race to lead seven points at the World Championships to the final race of the season. Speaking afterwards, Hamilton said, "All weekend we have God on our side as usual, and the team is doing a phenomenal job preparing the car, which has been a dream to drive."
In the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton must finish at least fifth, if Massa wins the race, to secure the World Championships. Just before the race began a rain shower hit and Hamilton ran in fourth place before dropping to sixth after pitting for a dry tire. Intermittent rainfall meant all drivers stopped several times between wet and dry tires, and with three laps remaining Hamilton ran in fifth position and only had to maintain a position to secure the title. On the last lap, Vettel passed Hamilton and entered the final lap in sixth position and looked unable to reclaim the fifth place. However, on the last lap he and Vettel made an 18-second difference to overtake Timo Glock, who struggled with a dry tire, on the final corner to reclaim the fifth spot and denied the Massa racing championship by one point. This means Hamilton has won the 2008 Formula One World Championship, becoming the youngest rider to win the title, the first black racer, and the first British rider to win the World Championship since Damon Hill won in 1996.
Racial harassment
In February, Hamilton was verbally abused and declared abused during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Catalonia by Spanish spectators dressed in black face and black wigs, and shirts bearing the words "The Hamilton Family [ sic ] ". Hamilton became unpopular in Spain because of his rivalry with former Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso. The FIA ​​warned the Spanish authorities of repeating such behavior. and launched the "Race Against Racism" campaign.
Shortly before the 2008 Brazil Grand Prix, a website owned by a Spanish advertising agency of the New York-based advertising agency TBWA and named "pinchalaruedadeHamilton" ("Hamilton's bursting tire") was featured in British media. The website contains Interlagos animated images that allow users to leave nails and hedgehogs on the track for Hamilton's car to be crushed. Among the thousands of comments left since 2007, some include racial insults. His rival Fernando Alonso condemned racist supporters.
Season 2009: A frustrating year
Hamilton started the 2009 Australian Grand Prix opener of the 2009 season from position 18 on the grid after McLaren's team issued a penalty for replacing his gearbox during qualifying. Hamilton benefited from a late crash between Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and BMW Sauber Robert Kubica to move into fourth place at the end of the race. He was then promoted to third position after Jarno Trulli was sentenced for overtaking him under the safety conditions of the car. During the post-race stewardship inspection, Hamilton and McLaren officials informed the board that they had not deliberately allowed Trulli to pass, as opposed to the launch of McLaren's radio communications. Hamilton was then disqualified from the race for providing "misleading evidence" during the stewardship hearing. He then personally apologized to FIA's director of the race for Charlie Whiting for lying to the stewards. He went on to describe the incident as the most difficult week of his life, and considering leaving Formula One.
Hamilton scored little points in the Malaysian Grand Prix, China and Bahrain. Hamilton's fate was reversed in the Hungaroring, the tenth round of the season in which he won the race, 11.529 seconds from RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen for his 10th career victory and the first for KERS-equipped cars. McLaren's return to form continued at Valencia, where Hamilton finished second. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton earned his second win of the season. He finished third in the Grand Prix of Japan and Brazil. At the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton led the race, but retired on lap 20 due to rear brake issues, his first technical related retirement in Formula One.
season 2010: Other title challenges
For the new season Hamilton will drive alongside Jenson Button, after Heikki Kovalainen moved to Lotus Racing.
Hamilton finished third in Bahrain, In Australia, Hamilton ended the race in sixth place, after a final collision with Mark Webber. In Malaysia, a wrong assessment of his team's qualifying weather left him with an unfavorable tire for wet conditions. It limits him to the 20th on the grid for the race, but he gets through the field to finish sixth. Hamilton was warned during the race, after he raced four straight times as he tried to break the rope that Vitaly Petrov received and did not intend to block it.
Hamilton finished second in China behind Jenson Button. It completed the first 1-2 McLaren settlement since the 2007 Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton was involved in a pit lane incident with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel; both were reprimanded. At Monaco Hamilton qualified and finished fifth. At the Turkish Grand Prix Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed his first win in the 2010 season as he and Button completed 1-2. Hamilton qualified for pole for the Canadian Grand Prix, continuing a 100% pole record at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. After arranging the pole lap, Hamilton received instructions from his team to stop at the circuit due to the lack of fuel in the car that would not be equivalent to the level required for the sample to be picked up by the FIA. Hamilton was reprimanded after failing to complete his lap in sufficient time; the team was fined $ 10,000. However Hamilton went on to win the race and lead in the drivers' Championship after McLaren's third 1-2 this season. At Valencia Alonso complained on his radio that Hamilton made a profit by not following the safety car; Hamilton received a drive-through penalty. But Alonso and Ferrari are furious because the length of time to make a decision means a penalty does not affect Hamilton's second spot. Hamilton accused Alonso of "sour grapes", even though they were reconciled before the next race.
He finished second in his home race at Silverstone, and followed him with a fourth at the German Grand Prix. Despite running into gravel at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton won the third race of the season and regained the championship lead. However, successive collisions in the Italian and Singapore Grand Prix dropped him to third place in the championship. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton finished fifth. In South Korea, Hamilton finished second and fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. In the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi Hamilton was second from Vettel in the race, which broke Hamilton's record for becoming the youngest Formula One World Champion.
2011-2012: Recent years with McLaren
At the start of the 2011 season, Hamilton rejected Red Bull Racing as "just a beverage company". Hamilton started the qualifying season and finished second at the Australian Grand Prix, despite having to deal with a broken floor in his McLaren. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, he qualified second and seventh on the road, struggling partly on tires and marked by Fernando Alonso of Ferrari at the closing stages. Hamilton received a 20-second penalty of race time to weave while defensive and unsuitable driving, which Hamilton dropped to eighth place. Hamilton earned his first win of the season in China. He then finished fourth in Turkey, and second in Spain.
In Monaco, he qualifies at 10th place after Q3 is given a red mark before he can set a competitive time due to a severe accident from Sergio PÃÆ'Â © rez. During the race, Hamilton received a drive-through penalty after he met Massa at the Harpin Hotel. Then, Alguersuari crashed into Hamilton, breaking his rear wing; The race was marked with red as Petrov fell at the same time allowing his team to fix the car. At the time of the restart he experienced a collision with Maldonado at Sainte Devote, who then he was given a penalty time of 20 seconds to but it did not affect the position of his finish. In an interview with BBC Hamilton, said that he has served five riders out of six so far this season and feels victimized. When asked why he was so much to them, Hamilton replied, "Maybe because I'm black, that's what Ali G said." He then explains that it is a joke, escaping further punishment.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton collided with Webber at the first corner before rejoining behind his teammate. A few laps later Hamilton, trying to capitalize on the error, tried to get past Button who drove Hamilton into the pitwall. He must retire with a damaged driveshaft; both drivers agree that it is "one of those things". In Valencia and Silverstone Hamilton finished fourth after holding off Massa while managing tires high in the former and saving fuel at the last. In Germany, Hamilton won his second victory of 2011 when he held off Webber and Alonso. In Hungary Hamilton had five pitstops and a drive-through penalty to send Paul in Resta to the grass as he finished fourth. He finished fourth at Monza after a long bout with Michael Schumacher, whom he rejected for his aggressive tactics.
At the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton caused an accident with Felipe Massa who left Hamilton needing a new front wing and serving the drive through a penalty. The crowd accused Hamilton of "not being able to use his brain," during post-race interviews. While the couple did the interview, Massa grabbed Hamilton's shoulder by saying, "Good work, man, good work"; Hamilton responded by telling Brazil to leave her alone. Before the Japanese Grand Prix Hamilton insisted that he had made no mistakes during the season. During the race, Hamilton suffered a puncture before once again disputing with Massa; Although Ferrari pushed Hamilton to punish, Hamilton escaped a rebuke when he finished fifth. Hamilton then told Massa to "grow up", after admitting that his career in Formula One has gone beyond the abyss.
In Korea, Hamilton qualified for pole position, ending 16 pole positions in a row for Red Bull. He led just four turns on lap 1, where World Champion Sebastian Vettel followed him and went on to win the race as Hamilton finished second. In his inaugural race in India, Hamilton recorded the second fastest time in qualifying, but was sentenced to three places on the starting grid, following a yellow flag offense in Friday's training. Hamilton finished seventh after another incident with Massa that kept the Brazilian from facing a penalty when Hamilton had to replace the front wing. In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton qualified second and won the race. In Brazil, Hamilton and Massa ended their feud as he retired from the race and finished fifth overall in the championship.
Hamilton stays at McLaren with Button for the 2012 season. Hamilton qualifies in pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, but finishes third after being passed by Button at the start, and by Vettel after pitting before safety car. Hamilton again qualified for the pole for the Malaysian Grand Prix, but in the race was ratified early by Fernando Alonso and Sergio PÃÆ' Ã © rez, finishing third. Hamilton took third place in third in a row in China, with Nico Rosberg and Button leading the way. Hamilton qualified in second place in Bahrain, but during the race, a series of poor pitstops got him out of a dispute, and he finished eighth. Hamilton was also involved in a controversial racing incident with Rosberg, with Rosberg appearing to push Hamilton off course when he tried to take over. Hamilton qualified in pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, but had to stop the car on track for a well-earned fuel sample to be awarded post-qualifying. The steward decides he has breached the qualifying rules introduced after a similar incident involving Hamilton at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix. The racer board ruled him out of the qualifying result, and lowered it behind the grid; but nevertheless, Hamilton ended in eighth, ahead of Button, who had started in tenth position.
Hamilton achieved his first win of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix - winning the race for the third time - after overtaking Fernando Alonso in the closing stages.
Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix on 29 July 2012 to claim his second win of the season. Hamilton, along with championship leader Fernando Alonso, retired from the Belgian Grand Prix after being involved in several car accidents at the first corner of the race. Romain Grosjean was held responsible for the accident and was given a one-race ban. Hamilton bounced back in pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, and led the majority of the race to claim his third win of the season and keep his hopes of winning the Life Racer Championship. Hamilton again qualified for the pole at the Singapore Grand Prix, but suffered a gearbox failure while leading the race. He also retired from the leadership of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before he won the US Grand Prix in Austin. Hamilton's season ended in another pole position and retired at the Brazil GP, when he was involved in a collision with Nico HÃÆ'¼lkenberg while leading in the final stages.
Mercedes
2013 season: First win with Mercedes
On September 28, 2012, it was announced after much speculation that Hamilton would leave McLaren after the 2012 season to join Mercedes-Benz teamwork for the 2013 season and beyond, partnered Nico Rosberg after signing a three-year deal with the team.
In his first racing weekend for Mercedes, the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified for third and finished the race in fifth place. Hamilton finished third in Malaysia to take his first podium for the team, though Nico Rosberg was prevented from trying to overtake him with team orders. In the next race in China, Hamilton secured his first pole position for Mercedes.
In Monaco after qualifying out by team-mate Rosberg for the third consecutive race, Hamilton admitted that he was struggling to control the car under braking. Prior to the race, both Red Bull and Ferrari have filed an official complaint against Mercedes to take part in what is specified as a tire test of 1,000 kilometers of illegal (620 million). Both the Mercedes drivers received any penalty for violation of the rules, and Mercedes was given a reprimand.
The Hungarian Grand Prix was Hamilton's first racing victory as a Mercedes driver, the first Briton to win the Formula One race at Mercedes who worked since Stirling Moss in the 1955 British Grand Prix, at Silverstone. Hamilton won the race from an unexpected leading position, eventually crossing the line almost 11 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher Kimi RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. By winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton continued his personal win to win at least one race before the mid-season break, and went to the fourth summer vacation at the Racer Championships. At the Belgian Grand Prix he secured his fifth and final pole position of the season and finished the third race. Even though he did not score the podium for the rest of the season, a series of point completions helped him end the season in fourth place.
Season 2014: Second world title
The new rules for the 2014 season allow drivers to choose unique car numbers to use for their entire career. Hamilton took 44, the same number he used during karting days.
After pre-season testing at Jerez, Mercedes are widely considered favorites for 2014 as they seem to have a considerable speed advantage compared to other teams. This is realized in the Australian Grand Prix where Hamilton took over. He was forced to retire, but Rosberg dominated to win over 20 seconds. In Malaysia, Hamilton's potential was realized when he won from pole at Mercedes 1-2, the first since 1955. In Bahrain, Mercedes was unstoppable with Rosberg claiming a pole in the front row of Mercedes-lock-out. Hamilton got a better start but still struggled with Rosberg through the early part of the race. Mercedes chose a separate strategy for their drivers, and Hamilton opened the gap on the faster option tire. But the safety car was called after Esteban GutiÃÆ' Â © rrez overthrew Saubernya. Hamilton was forced to fight against Rosberg in a thrilling race to finish with a tight wheel-to-wheel race. In the end Hamilton won, winning for the first time since the 2010 season, when he won in Turkey and Canada.
The dominance of Mercedes was further confirmed in China where Hamilton took over and then led each round of the race while his team mate finished second. It completed a hat-trick of victory, the first of Hamilton's career. Mercedes continued to dominate in Spain where Hamilton once again set pole position and won the race - the fourth successive win - despite the intense competition from teammate Nico Rosberg who finished second. In Monaco, Hamilton qualified 2 behind Rosberg. Rosberg was investigated by the boarders after he was down the exit at the corner of Mirabeau. The resulting yellow flag forced Hamilton to retreat at the last moment of the session, which could make Hamilton have a chance at pole position. Rosberg was freed of any error in the incident. Rosberg won the race with Hamilton finishing second. During qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Hamilton suffered a brake failure and started 20 but managed a third finish. The engine fire in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix means he will start from the pit lane from where he again managed to climb to third in front of Rosberg, despite being ordered by his racing engineer to let his team-mates pass.
In the first race after a summer break in Belgium, Hamilton led from Rosberg at the start but a collision between them on lap two stabbed his rear tire and he then retired from the race. He then won Italy, and the Singapore Grand Prix respectively from pole to lead in the Racer Championship. This was followed by victory in the Japanese Grand Prix - which was halted due to heavy rain - the Russian Grand Prix and the United States to reach five straight wins for the first time in his career. The tenth victory of the season was also his 32nd career victory, Britain's most racing driver. Hamilton became World Champion after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating his team-mate Rosberg by 67 points, after Rosberg's car had mechanical problems during the race. Hamilton said in a podium interview "This is the greatest day of my life". At the end of the year, Hamilton received the BBC Sport Personality Award of the Year.
Season 2015: Third world title
Hamilton enjoys a continuation of Mercedes dominance towards the 2015 season, as the new W06 Hybrid completes more laps in pre-season testing than competing cars, and does so using only one power unit. At the opening race in Australia, Hamilton qualified in pole position, 0.594 seconds faster than team-mate Rosberg and 1.391 seconds from Felipe Massa Williams in third. Hamilton then won the race ahead of Rosberg in second, with Sebastian Vettel in third Ferrari, 34 seconds back. At Monaco he lost first place to team-mate Rosberg after leading the race to 65 laps due to a pit stop made by his team, eventually finishing third.
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes announced they have extended the contract with Hamilton for an additional three years, keeping him in the squad until the end of the 2018 season. This followed months of widely publicized contract negotiations between drivers, who chose to negotiate on their own behalf, and the team. The deal is reportedly worth more than Ã, Â £ 100 million over three full years, making Hamilton one of the best riders in Formula One. It has also been reported that an extension contract gives Hamilton the right to retain his own image right, which is considered unusual in sports, and keeps his winning car and the trophies he collects.
After a triumphant start to the European round, Hamilton went on to win the British Grand Prix for the second and third consecutive games overall, also surpassing Jackie Stewart's 45-year-old prison record led in eighteen consecutive Grand Prix. He finished sixth in the Hungarian Grand Prix, ending his journey with 16 podiums in a row, the second longest in F1 history. Hamilton won the next two races at Spa and Monza and extended his championship lead over Nico Rosberg, who was forced to retire at the last race due to engine failure, to 53 points. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton was only able to qualify at number 5 ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, and has climbed to fourth in the race before he was forced to retire because of power unit problems. By winning the US Grand Prix, Hamilton secured his third driver's Championship with three races left to run.
Season 2016: Runner-up to Rosberg
At the opening of the Australian Grand Prix season, Hamilton qualified for the pole. He made a poor start to the race, however, recovering to finish second behind teammate Mercedes Nico Rosberg. In the second race of the season, Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton back to the pole. On the first lap there was a collision between him and Bottas, which Bottas was given a drive-through penalty. Hamilton recovered to finish the race in third behind Rosberg and RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. In the next race, the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton did not set a time in the qualifying round and started behind the grid. He got as high as a fifth but was followed by RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen and Ricciardo at the end of the race for the seventh finish. In the fourth race of the season, the Russian Grand Prix, Hamilton did not determine the time in the third qualifying section, which means he started from tenth position on the grid. He finished second behind Rosberg, despite having zero water pressure for the last 16 laps.
In the next race in Spain, Hamilton claimed a leading position, ahead of Rosberg. Both riders made a good start, but Rosberg passed Hamilton around the outside of Turn 1. In the next few corners, Rosberg's car entered the wrong engine mode due to a mistake made by Germany in the round of formation. That meant he was slower than Hamilton who came out of Turn 3, and Hamilton went over to take over for the lead. Rosberg closed the door and forced Hamilton into the grass where he lost control, eventually spinning to Rosberg and taking both riders out of the race. The steward considers it a racing incident and decides that Hamilton has been justified in his effort as he is 17 kilometers per hour (11 mph) faster than Rosberg who came out of Turn 3. On the first lap the collision between Hamilton and Rosberg means that both Mercedes cars retreat. The waiters decided that the collision was a racing incident.
Hamilton, now 43 points behind Rosberg, began closing the gap with wins in Monaco and Canada ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel respectively, but the crash in qualifying at the next race in Baku and the problem of setting the engine mode meant that he could only finish 5 Hamilton continued to win the Austrian Grand Prix despite having a final lap collision with Rosberg. A week later, Hamilton completed a hat-trick of home victories at the British Grand Prix, which slashed his team's championship championship advantage. He leads the championship in the next race in Hungary, and extends the difference to 19 points after winning in Germany, where Rosberg finished fourth.
After the summer holidays, however, Hamilton's season unravels. With Mercedes choosing to take a series of grid penalties to build up component supplies, Hamilton was forced to start in Belgium from position 21. He took advantage of the first-round contact between Vettel, RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen and Verstappen to work through fields before a severe accident involving Kevin Magnussen at Eau Rouge forcing a red flag. As the race continued, Nico Rosberg led the race until the finish banner, while Hamilton finally finished third after being unable to catch Daniel Ricciardo. Rosberg reduced Hamilton's championship lead to two points in the next round in Italy, capitalizing on a slow start from pole position by Hamilton to build an unrivaled early advantage through the race. Hamilton fell as low as a fifth at the start, recovering to fourth in the opening lap and using a strategy to advance from Ferraris Vettel and RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen.
Rosberg claimed back the championship lead in Singapore, qualifying at pole while Hamilton was forced to settle for third after struggling with mechanical problems and driving errors. Hamilton looked set to regain his lead after comfortably leading the Malaysian Grand Prix, but he retired 16 laps from the end of the race with engine failure, leaving Daniel Ricciardo in control of the race, while Rosberg finished third, extending his championship lead to 23 points.
Rosberg further extended his championship lead to 33 points in Japan, starting the race from pole and finishing in first place. Meanwhile, Hamilton made another bad start, slipping from second place on the grid to the eighth by the end of the first lap. He recovered with alternative pit strategies to retake third place into the final phase of the race but was unable to get past Max Verstappen, and finished third, meaning that his deficit to Rosberg is now 33 points and that the Championship is no longer in his hands. The result guaranteed the title of the third consecutive World Championship in a row of Mercedes. Hamilton began to reduce the benefits of Rosberg, leading the completion of Mercedes 1-2 in the United States. Hamilton led the other 1-2 Mercedes in Mexico and in Brazil, he dominated the very wet race to complete another hat-trick of victory. However, with Rosberg again finishing in second it means that to win the championship, he must win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Rosberg finishing fourth or lower.
In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton took pole position in front of Rosberg, and led him for most of the race. In the last lap of the race, Hamilton opposed the team's order, first from his race engineer and then by the technical director of the team, and deliberately slowed to support Nico Rosberg into the race-chasing package in an effort to encourage rivals Vettel and Verstappen to take over his teammate, allowing him to win the World Championships. However, Rosberg was able to maintain his position for second place, enough to win the title with 385 points for Hamilton 380. Emphasized on whether Hamilton could face sanctions or even suspension, Toto Wolff replied: "Everything is possible", though no penalty is publicly announced. Others support it, with the principle that "race-free racers". After the race Hamilton denied that he had been guilty of any wrongdoing, saying "I do not think I'm doing anything dangerous", "I'm in charge, so I'm in control of the pace.
season 2017: All four world titles
In December 2016, just five days after winning the World Driver Championships, Rosberg announced his retirement from sports. Williams' driver Valtteri Bottas was announced in January as his successor at Mercedes. At the season opener in Australia, Hamilton took the pole in front of Sebastian Vettel and Bottas new teammate. During the race, he makes an early pit stop, out behind the Red Bull car from Max Verstappen. Although he was very close to Red Bull, he missed it for four laps which eventually led Vettel to victory, with Hamilton only able to take a second. This race marks the end of Mercedes dominance of the last two seasons.
In the second race of the season in China, Hamilton re-started from the pole. Hamilton defended his pole immediately with a quick and clean start, remaining unchallenged for the rest of the race. As well as taking his 54th career victory, Hamilton led every lap and set the fastest lap to give his third career Grand Slam Mercedes. Hamilton also equaled Jim Clark's career record with 11 "hat-tricks" - a race won from pole when setting the fastest lap - put him second in the all-time list.
In Bahrain, the third race of 2017, Hamilton was beaten by his teammate Bottas. He was authorized by Vettel from the start and then penalized five seconds for driving too slowly in the pit lane, but recovered to finish second behind Championship rivals Vettel. After the race he made a public apology to his team for the penalty he received, but also raised concerns over the pace of his car. At the next race in Sochi, Russia, Hamilton struggled for the pace all weekend and qualified for fourth. In the race he finished fourth, while his team-mate Bottas earned his first Grand Prix victory.
Mercedes brought a series of upgrades to their cars for the Spanish Grand Prix, and qualifying saw Hamilton take pole in front of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Vettel overtook Hamilton into the first corner, which could not escape until Vettel complained 14 laps later. Hamilton stayed outside before pitting under the Virtual Safety Car, getting time on Vettel who pitted lap later. Vettel emerged from the pitlane with Hamilton, and the couple touched the wheels when Hamilton was forced out of the track and fell behind Vettel. Hamilton passed Vettel to take the lead on lap 44 and survive to win the race, reducing Vettel's lead in the championship to six points and boosting Mercedes's lead in the Constructors Championship to eight points over Ferrari.
Two weeks later in Monaco, while Ferrari locked the front row, Hamilton qualified for the 14th as he struggled to warm his tires and his final flight round was hampered by an accident involving Stoffel Vandoorne. Hamilton recovered to finish seventh, while Vettel passed RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen through a pit stop phase to win the race and extend his championship lead to 25 points over Hamilton.
After that result, Hamilton took over in Canada, matching her hero Ayrton Senna with 65 of his career. He was presented with one of Senna's old helmets, a gift from the late Brazilian family to equal his record. After receiving the prize, Hamilton paused, before saying "I'm trembling, Ayrton, I know many of you are your favorite driver and he is for me, he inspires me to be where I am today so I can accept this is my greatest honor". Hamilton won, leading every lap of the race and setting the fastest lap for the second Grand Slam of the season.
Hamilton secured his fifth pole of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as he attempted to reduce the deficit for championship leader Vettel. Hamilton made a good start, while Vettel climbed to second after Bottas and RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen collided in the first sector. The race was full of incidents, with three safety cars and a red flag. Just before the end of the second car safety period, Vettel ended Hamilton, accusing the brake degree contenders to test him, although FIA telemetry data showed that Hamilton did not use his brakes. Moments later, Vettel was pulled aside and turned into Mercedes Hamilton as they prepared to restart, where he received a ten-second stop-go penalty. However, with Hamilton being forced to pit for loose headlines a few laps before, Vettel popped in front and held Hamilton to 14 points in the standings. He received no further punishment, but took full responsibility, issued a public apology to Hamilton and committed to devoting personal time over the next 12 months to educational activities at various FIA championships and events.
In Austria, Hamilton finished third behind Vettel, while Bottas took pole. He received a penalty of five penalties after his car needed an unscheduled gearbox change, starting the race in eighth place. Hamilton finished the race in fourth place, while Bottas earned his second Grand Prix victory. Vettel finished second to extend his championship lead to 20 points over Hamilton.
In the British Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified for the pole, with time more than half a second faster than the second position RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. The race was won by Hamilton, who reached his third grand slam record of the season, starting from pole position, leading every lap of the race, setting the fastest lap, and winning with a 14-second lead over the Mercedes team, Bottas. With his fifth British Grand Prix victory, he equaled the record of Alain Prost and Jim Clark, who also won the race five times each. Instead, championship rival Sebastian Vettel suffered a tire failure with two laps to go, and then finished seventh. As a result, his lead over Hamilton in the drivers' standings reduced to one point.
The following week, Hamilton finished fourth in Hungary, behind Bottas. This drew some controversy because Bottas was initially ahead of Hamilton, however, as Vettel suffered a steering rudder in the first place, combined with RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen unable to get past his teammate, a car queue formed behind a Ferrari. Since Bottas was not able to take over RÃÆ'¤kkÆ'kÆ'nen, Hamilton requested that he swap places with Bottas to try to overtake both Ferraris. Unable to do so, Hamilton relinquished his position back to Bottas at the last corner of the last lap. Vettel went on to win the race, thereby extending his lead in the drivers 'Championship over Hamilton to 14 points and Mercedes' Championship Championship Constructors reduced to 39 points over Ferrari.
Hamilton again led the championship after a hat-trick of victory after a summer break. During the Belgian Grand Prix qualifier, Hamilton scored a 68th pole position, setting the fastest lap at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (1: 42.553) while rival championship, Vettel, qualified alongside him in the front row of the grid. In the 200th Formula One race, Hamilton claimed his fifth victory of the season in close combat with Vettel who managed to keep in touch with Hamilton throughout the race but could not find a way to get past.
A week later at the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton secured a 69th pole position, ahead of Michael Schumacher for the all-time leading position. During the wet qualifying session, Hamilton took the lead with 1.148 seconds above Verstappen in Q3, making it by far the biggest margin of the season. Hamilton changed his pole position to his sixth victory of the season, which also means he leads in the Driver Championship over Vettel with three points. Bottas finished second when Mercedes celebrated their most dominant race so far as they grabbed their final 1-2 results of the season. With this complete European round of season and seven rounds remaining, Mercedes also holds a 62 point lead in the Constructors Championship over Ferrari.
Mercedes struggled during Singapore's Grand Prix qualifying. Vettel secured pole position while Hamilton only grabbed fifth, behind the Red Bulls and the second Ferrari RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen. During the first rain-affected night at the Grand Prix, Hamilton took the lead on the first lap after an accident in turn involving RÃÆ'¤ikkÃÆ'¶nen, Verstappen and Vettel forcing the three of them to retire their car. He went on to secure what seemed an unlikely victory, against Ricciardo for three safety cars starting back at the end of the race.
Having great setup difficulties after introducing a new upgrade package at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Mercedes found themselves more than a second from speed to Ferrari on Friday. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that the car has a fundamental problem that they have not yet identified. On Saturday the team decided to run a separate program, with Bottas running a new aero package and Hamilton returning to the old one. Vettel suffered a problem with the power unit and will start last on the grid while Hamilton went on to secure the pole position of his 70th career, setting new lap record records in the process. Despite having a fast car in qualifying, Mercedes racing speed is slower than the Red Bulls' and so after staying ahead at the start, Hamilton admitted his lead to Verstappen on lap 4 while managing problems with his MGU-K car. He settled for second place and extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship ahead of Vettel recovering a finish in fourth.
During qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton picked up his first Suzuka pole and broke the record previously held by Michael Schumacher from 2006 with more than 1.6 seconds. With his rivals Vettel retiring after four laps, Hamilton fended off Max Verstappen throughout the race, despite complaints of engine vibrations in the closing lap, to take his eighth win of the season and extend his championship lead to 59 points.
Hamilton broke another record in United States Grand Prix qualifying. In the windy conditions, Hamilton claimed pole position 72 and the 117th starting line ahead, setting a new record for all front rows starting, surpassing Michael Schumacher's previous record of 116. Hamilton initially lost his lead to Vettel at the start but followed closely. , eventually overtaking Vettel on lap 6 to take the lead, before winning, helping Mercedes clinch the fourth consecutive World Championship title in a row. The win extended Hamilton 's lead in the drivers' championship to 66 points, meaning that finishing fifth in the next race in Mexico would be enough to win the title with two races remaining.
In Mexico, after qualifying in third, Hamilton competed for positions with Vettel and Verstappen through the first few corners until contact between Vettel and Hamilton damaged the front wing and gave Hamilton a prick. This forces both riders to complain at the end of the first round, after which they rejoin the field. Vettel made it through the pitch to finish fourth, while Hami
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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