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Roots -

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton was born on January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.

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Love for racing cars and speed -

Hamilton’s father is credited for influencing his son’s need for speed by buying him a radio-controlled car in 1991.

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The beginning -

“I was racing these remote-controlled cars and winning club championships against adults,” Hamilton recalls.

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First championship victory -

Hamilton won his first British Kart Championship when he was just 10 years old.

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Karting champ -

One year later, in 1996, Hamilton won the Champions of the Future series, the Five Nations, and the Sky TV Kartmasters, in the cadet class.

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1998 -

This was a big year for Lewis Hamilton. At just 15, he won both the European and the World Karting title, becoming the youngest ever Karting World Number One.

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Deal -

In the same year, he joined McClaren and Mercedes-Benz’s Young Driver Support Program.

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Career highlights -

In the following years, Lewis Hamilton continued his path towards F1 glory. In 2003, he became Formula Renault UK Champion.

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Career highlights -

In 2005, he won the Masters of Formula Three Championships and the Formula Three Euro Series Championship. In 2006, Hamilton became the GP2 Series champion.

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F1 debut -

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton started racing in F1. His first race was the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton qualified fourth and finished in third place! That same year he also got his first win, in the Canadian GP.

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F1 champion -

In 2008, the first big milestone had been reached. Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 World Championship. He was just 23.

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MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) -

In 2009, Lewis Hamilton was awarded a MBE by the Queen. He described the experience as one of the most overwhelming of his life.

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2013 season -

This is when Hamilton started racing as part of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

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2014 -

Hamilton achieves five consecutive wins in this season. He also achieved the 32nd victory in his career, beating all British drivers’ records.

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2014 -

In this year, Hamilton amassed 11 wins, 384 points, and 16 podiums. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014.

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Breaking records -

In 2015, Lewis Hamilton becomes the most successful British F1 driver of all time, with 32 GP wins.

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Inspirational -

“As a kid, I always dreamt of being in Formula 1. I never lost sight of that dream, even when people said it would be impossible,” said Hamilton when he won his fourth World Championship in 2017.

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He just kept winning -

Hamilton went on to win his fifth and sixth World Championship in the following years.

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Special achievement -

Hamilton was presented with a helmet of Michael Schumacher's for matching his record of 91 race wins on October 11, 2020, in Nuerburg, Germany.  

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Record-breaking win -

In November 2020, Lewis Hamilton won his seventh world title and became the most successful racing driver in the history of the sport.

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Equaling and surpassing Schumacher -

Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher's number of titles, after he’d already surpassed his record of race wins.

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On his wins -

"It felt so far fetched. I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team,” said Hamilton.

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A dream come true -

“We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this and don't listen to anyone who says you can't achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up," the F1 champion added.

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Current records -

Lewis Hamilton currently holds the record for most wins, pole positions, and podium finishes, among others.

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Another victory for activism -

A victim of racial abuse himself, Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about racism in the sport and is an advocate for human rights, diversity, and environmentalism.

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Fight against inequality in F1 -

"Kids, people, there are so many jobs in this sport of which anybody, no matter your ethnicity or background, can make it and fit in," said Hamilton.

Sources: (LewisHamilton.com) (BBC)

See also: The hottest Formula 1 drivers in history

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