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With 7 world championships, 103 victories, 191 podiums, 103 pole positions, and 61 fastest laps, Lewis Hamilton is statistically the best Formula 1 driver in history, with more wins and poles than any driver in history. The Briton made his debut in the category in 2007 with McLaren, and already in his first year he astonished the whole world by fighting for the championship.
His first title came in 2008, but his golden age came with the hybrid era in 2014 alongside Mercedes, where both dominated the sport for 7 years, breaking all kinds of records. Hamilton is one of the most complete drivers in all history, good in all aspects and who does not break under pressure.
The Briton has also made his mark off the track, becoming one of the sport\’s biggest and most influential personalities as an activist on a host of issues and very active on social media. In his 15+ year racing career, Hamilton has left us with some incredible moments that we will never forget. Here are some of our favorites.
1. Podium In His Debut Race – 2007 Australian GP
After winning the GP2 Series in 2006, Lewis Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut in 2007 with McLaren, a team that had been with him since he was a child. His teammate would be double world champion Fernando Alonso, and the team built a competitive car, so the young Briton was under great pressure.
However, Hamilton handled the pressure very well. In qualifying, Alonso was second, while the Briton was fourth. In the race, Hamilton made a great start, overtaking Alonso and placing third, where he finally finished, just behind the Spaniard, thus achieving a fantastic podium in his first race, and showing everyone that he was world champion material.
With this podium finish, Hamilton became the first driver to score a podium on his debut since Jacques Villeneuve at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix.
2. First Pole Position & Win – 2007 Canadian GP
Hamilton completed an excellent start to the 2007 season, taking 5 podiums in the first 5 races, establishing himself as a title contender, and impressing the world with his great talent. However, he had not yet achieved any pole position or victory.
That all changed at the Canadian Grand Prix. The young Briton completed a perfect weekend without a single mistake, taking pole position on Saturday, and leading the race from start to finish in a chaotic afternoon with several accidents.
Thus, Hamilton crossed the finish line first in only his sixth race, becoming the first black man to win a Formula 1 race ever. He also took the lead in the drivers\’ championship, making him a clear contender for the title.
3. First Incredible Home Win – 2008 British GP
After a debut season in which he almost won the title, Hamilton came back in 2008 stronger, continuing to fight. He had two bad races in Canada and France that dropped him from first to fourth in the championship, so he came into the British GP looking for a good performance in front of his fans.
On Saturday, after struggling with the car setup, the Briton finished fourth. On Sunday the weather was really bad, with the track flooded and foggy. In the race, Hamilton made an incredible start, overtaking Kimi Raikkonen\’s Ferrari and Mark Webber\’s Red Bull before the first corner, placing second behind teammate Heikki Kovalainen.
Five laps later, Hamilton overtook Kovalainen to take the lead, and for the rest of the race, he showed a much better pace than the rest of the drivers, among whom there were many spins and accidents due to the poor track conditions.
Thus, with a pace even 5 or 6 seconds faster than the rest of the drivers, Hamilton crossed the finish line in first position, more than a minute ahead of second-placed Nick Heidfeld and lapping all but two drivers. It was a masterful drive in the rain marking the first of his eight home wins so far.
4. Fantastic Win Despite Adversity – 2008 German GP
Hamilton took pole position at the 2008 German Grand Prix, and on Sunday, halfway through the race he was 11 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa\’s Ferrari, so everything looked good for the Briton, although a bad strategy almost cost him the victory.
On lap 36, Timo Glock had a bad accident on the last corner, hitting the pit wall, so the Safety Car came out and most drivers took the opportunity to pit. However, McLaren ordered Hamilton to stay out, because, according to them, the Safety Car would not last long, and by the time it was time for him to pit, his advantage would be very large.
They were not right, because when Hamilton made his stop, he came out on track fifth with only 17 laps to go. After that, despite this difficult situation, the Briton completed a fantastic comeback, chasing the race leaders and fighting against Massa and Nelson Piquet Jr to take a brilliant victory.
5. First Title After Heart-Stopping End – 2008 Brazilian GP
Agonizing until the last lap of the last race was how Lewis Hamilton wrote the history of his first championship in Formula 1, in a movie ending. The last Grand Prix of 2008 was the Brazilian GP, held at Interlagos, in which Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton were both in with a chance of becoming world champions, with the Briton 7 points ahead.
Massa could still win the championship if he won the race and Hamilton finished sixth or worse. Throughout the weekend, the Brazilian did everything in his power, taking pole position, leading the entire race, and crossing the finish line in first position.
Hamilton, on the other hand, who started fourth, had a more complicated race, always fighting in the midfield under changing conditions. With 12 laps to go, it started to rain heavily, creating a lot of chaos with drivers stopping and others waiting a little longer. On the last lap, Hamilton was sixth, mathematically runner-up.
However, in the last corner, the Briton encountered the Toyota of Timo Glock, who was the only driver who had not stopped and was very slow on dry tires, struggling to find grip. Thus, while Massa crossed the finish line and began to celebrate the title, Hamilton overtook Glock, gaining the position he needed and finished fifth, \”stealing\” the title from the Brazilian in front of his fans in an epic finish.
6. Battling For The Victory – 2011 German GP
At the 2011 German Grand Prix, Hamilton completed a fantastic qualifying lap, finishing second to Mark Webber\’s Red Bull and 1.2 seconds faster than teammate Jenson Button. On Sunday, the Briton overtook Webber at the start, and took the lead, although victory did not come easy.
During the early stages of the race, Webber was following Hamilton very closely, who was able to keep him behind without any problem until he made a small mistake in the last chicane. The Australian took advantage of the mistake to overtake him on the inside of the last corner, and then Hamilton caught his slipstream to overtake him again.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso\’s Ferrari was getting closer and closer to them, so it was going to be a three-way battle for the win. Webber made an early pit stop, and shortly after Hamilton also stopped. When the Briton came out of the pits, the two met at the first corner and had an intense battle, but Hamilton managed to stay ahead.
Alonso was the last to stop and came out of the pit in first position. However, after exiting, Hamilton overtook him on the outside of Turn 2 in a fantastic move to take a magnificent victory.
7. First Win With Mercedes – 2013 Hungarian GP
At the end of 2012, Hamilton announced that he was leaving McLaren, the team that had accompanied him throughout his racing career and with whom he had achieved so many successes, and would drive from 2013 for Mercedes, which had returned to F1 in 2010 after more than 50 years away.
Many saw this move as risky, as McLaren was an established team with a lot of experience, while Mercedes had yet to prove anything, although it did show promise. At the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton showed for the first time why he chose the Silver Arrows.
The Briton completed a perfect weekend. In qualifying he was the fastest of all, taking pole position, ahead of the powerful Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, who was the favorite for the race.
On Sunday, however, Hamilton was able to keep the faster cars behind, leading from start to finish and completing two fantastic overtakes after his two pit stops on Jenson Button and Mark Webber. Thus, he crossed the finish line, being the first of his 82 victories (so far) with Mercedes.
8. Epic Duel In The Desert – 2014 Bahrain GP
For the 2014 season, Formula 1 changed the noisy V8 engines for the V6 turbo hybrid engines that were so much criticized at the beginning for their lack of sound. Mercedes dominated the first two races of the season, so everything pointed to a change of cycle in the category.
The two Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Rosberg arrived in Bahrain with one victory each, in what would be the beginning of their great rivalry in the category, fighting for the titles between 2014 and 2016. In Bahrain, the Silver Arrows got 1-2 in qualifying, with Rosberg in the pole position and Hamilton second.
In the race, the Mercedes were far superior to the rest of the grid, in a league of their own, but Rosberg and Hamilton were neck and neck, and the team decided not to use team orders and let them battle.
At the start, Hamilton overtook Rosberg, and soon the two Mercedes consolidated their lead. The Briton kept his teammate behind until lap 18 when Rosberg was very close and overtook him on the inside of Turn 1. From then on, both drivers began an intense duel of several laps in which they overtook each other on several occasions and got side-by-side.
Hamilton won that duel, and later, during the final laps of the race, they met again, when Rosberg tried again at Turn 1, but Hamilton completed a relentless defense to take an incredible victory.
9. First Title With Mercedes – 2014 Abu Dhabi GP
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought for the 2014 title until the last race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Double points were given in that race, so Hamilton needed to finish in the top two to secure the championship.
Rosberg got the pole position, but in the race, he had a bad start and lost the position to Hamilton. The Briton dominated the race from start to finish, while Rosberg began to lose pace and at the end of the race had an engine problem that made him drop to 14th position.
Thus, with 11 victories, 16 podiums, and 7 pole positions, Hamilton won his second world championship, his first with Mercedes, confirming what would be the golden age of the Silver Arrows, which would dominate the category until 2020, and with whom Hamilton would win five more titles.
10. Masterful Comeback – 2018 German GP
The 2018 German Grand Prix, held at Hockenheim, is the perfect example of Lewis Hamilton\’s never-say-die spirit. In qualifying he had a hydraulic problem, so he could only finish fourteenth, while his championship rival and home favorite Sebastian Vettel took the pole position.
Hamilton had never won from so far away, and victory looked very difficult, but the Briton completed a masterful drive on Sunday that impressed everyone. During the opening laps of the race Hamilton battled through the midfield, completing overtake after overtake and, by lap 14 he was already fifth, while Vettel was still leading.
Later, after half of the race, it started to rain, highlighting even more Hamilton\’s domination, who was going faster than the rest of the grid. On lap 52, Vettel made a mistake that sent him into the wall, so he had to retire, and the Safety Car came out. All drivers took the opportunity to pit, but Hamilton had a misunderstanding with the team and did not come in.
Thus, the Briton was in the lead when the Safety Car came out and withstood the attacks of his teammate Valtteri Bottas to cross the finish line in first position and materialize a masterful comeback.
11. The Perfect Lap – 2018 Singapore GP
Hamilton has an incredible one-lap pace and is the driver with the most pole positions in history, always getting the best out of his car, as he demonstrated at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. During the first sessions of the weekend, the car proved uncompetitive, unsuited to the twisty and technical nature of the circuit, obtaining discrete times.
On Saturday, in qualifying, Hamilton was almost out in Q1, and in Q2 he was far behind the times of the leaders. However, in his first flying lap in Q3, the Briton completed an incredible lap in which he was in perfect harmony with his car, without any mistake, being, according to himself, the most complete lap he has ever done.
Hamilton set a time of 1:36.015, more than 3 seconds faster than Vettel\’s pole lap the previous year. No one could beat him, with Verstappen more than 3 tenths behind, so the Briton, after his masterful lap, took an unexpected pole position, and on Sunday he dominated the race, taking a victory that brought him closer to his fifth title.
12. Relentless Defense – 2019 Monaco GP
The 2019 Monaco Grand Prix was held in the week of the death of Niki Lauda, Hamilton\’s mentor and the man who convinced him to join Mercedes, so the category was in mourning. The Briton was looking to complete a weekend to honor him.
On Saturday, Hamilton took the pole position, ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas. However, things got complicated in the race. A puncture and floor damage of Charles Leclerc brought a Safety Car, so all drivers took the opportunity to stop.
Mercedes made a strange strategy, and while rivals Verstappen and Vettel put on hard tires, Hamilton put on medium tires, which had to hold 64 laps. The Briton commented over the radio:
“I don’t know what you’re thinking when you kept these tires on man! You need to hope for a miracle!”
For the rest of the race, Hamilton was protecting his delicate tires to hold out while fending off Verstappen on one of the most mentally and physically demanding circuits of all. The Dutchman spent 60 laps behind Hamilton, trying everything to overtake him.
With 3 laps to go, Verstappen tried to overtake at the chicane, unsuccessfully, and Hamilton took a fantastic victory in honor of Lauda, in one of his toughest races.
13. Dominance In The Rain – 2020 Styrian GP
The 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, held at the Austrian circuit of Spielberg, started with heavy rain that caused the cancellation of the last free practice session on Saturday. The bad weather threatened the qualifying session, which was almost canceled but was finally held.
Thus, with a flooded circuit and very poor visibility, qualifying was held, in which many drivers crashed or spun. In Q3, Hamilton and Verstappen, the fastest in the rain, fought for pole position.
In his last attempt, Verstappen got the fastest sector 1, beating Hamilton\’s previous best time, but spun in the penultimate corner. Hamilton, meanwhile, completed a superb lap in perfect harmony with his car to smash his previous best, and take pole position, 1.2 seconds faster than Verstappen. On Sunday, he completed the perfect weekend by taking the win.
14. Doubly Brilliant Weekend – 2021 Sao Paulo GP
Lewis Hamilton\’s 2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix is the perfect example of never giving up. That weekend there was a sprint race on Saturday, so qualifying was on Friday, and Hamilton had a penalty that sent him to the back of the grid for the sprint race and 5 positions for Sunday’s grid.
At that stage of the championship, a bad result could be crucial, as he was fighting for the title with Verstappen, so he could not afford a bad result. On Saturday, the Briton made a great start, and in one lap he overtook 4 positions. For the rest of the sprint race, Hamilton made his way through the grid, completing overtake after overtake and gaining 14 positions in 21 laps.
In the end, Hamilton was fifth after an incredible comeback, so in the race, he would start tenth. On Sunday, the Briton had to do the same as he had done on Saturday, overtaking as many positions as possible. In 3 laps, Hamilton was already fifth, and after his teammate Valtteri Bottas let himself pass on lap 5, he only had the two Red Bulls ahead of him.
On lap 18, Hamilton caught up with Sergio Perez, who did not make things easy for him and fought with him for a couple of laps until the Briton was finally able to overtake him. After that, he began his pursuit of Verstappen, who, little by little, was getting closer and closer. On lap 48 he caught up with him and tried to overtake him, but both went off the track.
10 laps later, Hamilton tried again, unsuccessfully, and on lap 59, finally overtook Verstappen to take the lead and cross the finish line in first position. Hamilton thus overtook the entire grid that weekend, after starting last on Saturday and finishing first on Sunday, in one of the most incredible performances we have ever seen.
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Conclusion
Lewis Hamilton has gone down in Formula 1 history as one of the best (if not the best) drivers of all, with incredible performances within the reach of very few. The Briton has remained competitive since his first year in the category, achieving podiums in every season he has participated.
Both on and off the track, Hamilton\’s legacy is unquestionable.
