Lewis Hamilton

Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton's journey into motorsport began at age six when his father bought him a radio-controlled car. Coming from a mixed background with a black father and white mother, Hamilton would go on to become the first and only black driver to race in Formula One.

Hamilton's path to F1 began with a pivotal moment at an awards ceremony when he was just ten years old. He approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and boldly declared, 'one day I want to be racing your cars' - a statement that would prove prophetic when McLaren signed him to their young driver support programme in 1998.

Hamilton's progression through the junior ranks was methodical and successful. He won the British Formula Renault championship, followed by the Formula 3 Euro Series title, before claiming the GP2 championship. This systematic climb up the racing ladder perfectly prepared him for his Formula One debut.

Twelve years after his initial encounter with Ron Dennis, Hamilton finally achieved his childhood dream when he made his Formula One debut with McLaren in 2007, having been nurtured through their young driver support programme.

Hamilton's Formula One debut season in 2007 was nothing short of sensational. He set numerous records, including the most consecutive podium finishes from debut (9), joint most wins in a debut season (4), and most points in a debut season (109). He finished runner-up to Kimi Räikkönen by just one point in a thrilling championship fight.

The following season delivered Hamilton's first World Championship in the most dramatic fashion possible. On the last corner of the last lap in the last race of the 2008 season, he secured the title, becoming the then-youngest Formula One World Champion in history.

After four years with McLaren without finishing higher than fourth in the standings, Hamilton made the pivotal decision to join Mercedes AMG Petronas for the 2013 season, reuniting with his childhood karting teammate Nico Rosberg. His first season with Mercedes saw him finish fourth again, the third time in five years.

The Mercedes move proved transformational as Hamilton claimed back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. His 2014 championship came after winning 11 races in a closely fought battle with teammate Nico Rosberg, decided in the final race. The 2015 season saw Hamilton seal his third title with three races remaining, finishing on the podium a record 17 times and matching his hero Ayrton Senna's three World Championships.

After finishing runner-up to Rosberg in 2016, Hamilton bounced back to win his fourth title in 2017, joining the elite group of Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as drivers with four or more World Championship titles. He is now contracted to compete for Ferrari, marking a new chapter in his illustrious career.