Lewis Hamilton is widely considered one of the greatest drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.
Among others, the Briton currently holds the outright records for most Formula 1 wins, most podium finishes, most pole positions, most front row starts, most points scored, and most laps led.
More importantly, with seven World Championships to his name, he is tied with Michael Schumacher as the person to have won the most Drivers’ Titles.
Yet it could have all panned out very differently for Hamilton had his early career not been supported in the way that it was, the 40-year-old being the last of a dying breed of drivers from a more modest background to make it to the F1 grid.
With that in mind, let’s get into a profile of the current Ferrari man, covering everything from his background and his rise to F1 to numerous interesting facts that you may not know.
Where is Lewis Hamilton from?
Lewis Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, just beyond the outskirts of North London.
He stayed in the town during his youth, studying at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School where, unfortunately, he was bullied.
He found his outlet through racing, however.
His first introduction to this came via a remote-controlled car his father, Anthony Hamilton, bought for him when he was five. The following year, at just six years of age, Lewis would finish second in a national radio-controlled car competition.
He would begin racing go-karts at the same age, showing similar levels of talent.
How did Lewis Hamilton make it to Formula 1?
The biggest influence on Hamilton’s early career was his father, Anthony.
At the age of eight, Lewis was given a well-used go-kart that cost nearly as much as his family’s monthly income.
That was where the fight to finance Lewis’ career began, with Anthony at one point working three different jobs while also acting as his son’s manager and chief mechanic to support Lewis’ talent.
It was worth it, however, as Hamilton won the British Championship at the age of 10 in 1995, the youngest person to ever do so.
The reward for that win was a trip to a motorsport awards ceremony in London, at which Hamilton approached Ron Dennis, manager of the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team, and proclaimed that he’d one day “like to race for your team.”
The 10-year-old also asked for Dennis’ autograph and phone number, with the McLaren man writing for Hamilton to ‘Call me in nine years.’
Three years later, it would be Dennis calling Hamilton, the Briton’s remarkable go-karting performances leading Dennis to offer to financially support Hamilton’s career through a place in McLaren’s Young Driver Programme.
This took the weight off Anthony’s shoulders and presented Lewis with a clearer pathway to racing’s elite, albeit one he could only achieve if he continued performing.
This he did, however, winning eight championships in six years of kart racing overall.
Three titles followed in the single-seater series Formula Renault UK, Formula 3 Euro Series and, most importantly, GP2 in 2006.
In winning that third title, the last step before Formula 1, the Briton paved the way to make the step up to the big time for McLaren at the age of 22.
Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 accomplishments
In making his debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, the 40-year-old became the first black driver to race in Formula 1.
Hamilton would achieve a remarkable nine consecutive podiums in his first nine races, claiming his maiden victory at the sixth attempt in Canada.
At the time, that made Hamilton the youngest ever race winner.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t follow it up with the World Championship, being pipped to the post by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the final race in Brazil.
He would get his revenge the following season, though, dramatically winning the 2008 World Championship after a last-lap overtake during the final race.
After moving to Mercedes in 2013, six more world titles followed as Hamilton levelled Michael Schumacher’s tally.
The Briton almost took the record outright in 2021, missing out on the World Championship on the last lap of the final Grand Prix to fierce rival Max Verstappen following a controversial call from the race stewards to restart proceedings without allowing all drivers to unlap themselves.
Hamilton’s reaction to this crushing blow nonetheless received plaudits, the Mercedes driver showing incredible grace to congratulate Verstappen in the aftermath of the defeat.
Beyond world titles, Hamilton also holds multiple records, including the following (at the time of writing):
- Most Formula 1 wins (105)
- Most podium finishes (202)
- Most pole positions (104)
- Most front row starts (176)
- Most points scored (4925.5)
- Most laps led (5,487)
Why does Lewis Hamilton wear a yellow crash helmet?
While he has sometimes worn a predominantly purple crash helmet in recent years, Hamilton’s main colour is yellow.
Indeed, he has returned to this colour driving for Ferrari.
Yellow has been a feature of Hamilton’s career right from the early days of go-karting, with Formula 1 revealing that his father chose it so that he could ‘better keep track of [Lewis’s] speedy progress in crowded kart fields’.
Why does Lewis Hamilton race with the number 44?
Prior to the 2014 season, F1 drivers had little choice over their numbers, with these being tied to the previous season’s standings.
However, in 2014, the FIA allowed drivers to select their own numbers, doing so because it would enhance each driver’s personal branding.
It was here that Hamilton selected 44, returning to the number he used during his go-karting days.
As the Briton explained at the 2019 Sports Personality Awards (via TalkSPORT), the decision to opt with 44 as a youngster stemmed from the fact that his father’s registration plate contained ‘F44’.
Interestingly, unlike Verstappen, Hamilton decided to opt against running with the number 1 after each of his World Championship victories with Mercedes, staying with 44.
Lewis Hamilton age
At the time of writing, Lewis Hamilton is 40 years old, having been born on 7th January 1985.
Lewis Hamilton height
Lewis Hamilton stands at approximately 5ft 7in (1.74m).
Of all 20 drivers currently competing in Formula 1, he is the seventh shortest, an advantage when it comes to motor racing because of the lighter weight that tends to correlate with shorter height.
Is Lewis Hamilton’s brother also a racing driver?
Lewis Hamilton’s younger brother, Nicolas Hamilton, is also a racing driver.
Despite living with cerebral palsy, the 33-year-old currently races in the British Touring Car Championship with Un-Limited Motorsport, driving a specially adapted car.
Due to how Nicolas has defied all odds with his condition to race professionally, Lewis has cited his younger brother as an inspiration.
What is Lewis Hamilton’s charity, Mission 44?
Mission 44 is a global charitable foundation that was established by Hamilton in 2021.
Its purpose is to drive change for young people, ensuring they have equal access to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Lewis Hamilton’s net worth
Naturally, as a seven-time World Champion and one of the most recognisable faces in his sport, Hamilton’s net worth is hefty.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List, it currently stands at £385m.
Forbes add that the 40-year-old is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, putting his total estimated earnings for 2025 at $80m (£59m).
This is, in large part, due to the huge contract he is on at Ferrari, F1’s most famous and prestigious team.
His yearly earnings, as well as his overall net worth, are also added to by his various sponsorship deals and multiple investments, including jointly purchasing fashion magazine W, and founding Almave, a company that sells non-alcoholic blue agave spirits.
Lewis Hamilton’s properties
According to the Express, Hamilton spends most of his time in his £11.8m mansion in Monaco, living near teammate and Monaco native Charles Leclerc.
The Briton also owns properties in the UK, USA, Switzerland and Italy, the latter of which is situated in Milan and was purchased most recently after Hamilton made the switch to the Scuderia.
Is Lewis Hamilton on social media?
Hamilton is active on multiple social media platforms.
On X, Hamilton has 8.5 million followers, going by the username @LewisHamilton.
He uses the same username on Instagram, a platform on which the former McLaren driver has 39.6 million followers.