Once upon a time, on a cold January day, 40 years ago, a world champion (No.44) was born. He was named Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton. He would go on to be knighted and given the title Sir Lewis Hamilton. And just last year, it was announced the 7 time world champion will race for Scuderia Ferrari. Now, being the face of Formula 1 and Scuderia Ferrari, one wonders how he has done it.
At the age of 5, Hamilton was gifted a radio controlled car by his father, and a go-kart that sparked off a career in Motorsport. By the age of 6, not only was he participating in the 1991 British Radio Car Association against adults, but he came second. This made Hamilton’s father notice his gift, and made the decision to nurture his racing abilities.
At 8, Hamilton officially began competing in races, and within two years dominated the racing scene and won the British Cadet Class Karting Championship at 10 years old.
At the awarding ceremony, a confident 10 year old Lewis approached the then McLaren F1 team principal, Rob Dennis and said “Hi. I'm Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars”. These words could not be more true because 3 years later after winning the race series consecutively, Hamilton received a call from Dennis to be a part of the McLaren-Mercedes young driver programme.
He would go on to have a successful and lucrative career in Motorsport, earning him countless wins and titles, and eventually join F1 as the first black driver.
Lewis Hamilton with Rob Dennis throughout his racing career
However, this was no easy feat. His father’s dedication to his career meant tending to the cost and expenses that come with this expensive sport. He made himself redundant, worked multiple jobs at once to fund his son’s races. Moreover, Hamilton experienced a lot of prejudice and racism during his karting days and throughout, media criticism, yet he rose above it all and continues to rise.
Lewis Hamilton with his father at the beginning of his F1 career (Left) Lewis Hamilton at Enzo Ferrari's house (Right)
How do you think his move to Scuderia Ferrari will pan out this season? Can we expect another world Champion title for him, or is that being cheeky?
I guess we’ll see in 2025…
