Lewis Hamilton Formula 1 Driver Profile

1 January, 2026 | Jarrod Partridge

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 World Champion who won six of those titles with Mercedes and one with McLaren, and who now drives for Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc. As of 30 July 2026, he holds Formula 1’s all-time records for wins, pole positions and podium finishes, having raced in the sport since his 2007 debut.

Hamilton has won a record 106 Grands Prix, taken a record 105 pole positions and stood on 207 podiums, all as of 30 July 2026, across 391 career starts.
He left Mercedes after twelve seasons to join Ferrari for 2025, a difficult debut year there, and sits second in the 2026 championship after a Spanish Grand Prix win in June turned his season around.
Born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton is 41 at the time of writing and remains under contract at Ferrari through 2026, with his future beyond that still the subject of reported talks rather than any confirmed decision.

Lewis Hamilton’s Early Life And Background

Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. His father, Anthony Hamilton, is of Grenadian heritage, and his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British. His parents separated when he was two, and he lived first with his mother and older half-sisters before moving, at twelve, to live with his father, stepmother Linda, and half-brother Nicolas Hamilton, himself a professional racing driver.

His father bought him a radio-controlled car at five, which led to a runner-up finish in a national BRCA championship the following year, and a go-kart at six. Anthony Hamilton left his job in IT management and took on additional work, including double-glazing sales, to fund his son’s racing. Hamilton attended The John Henry Newman School, a Catholic secondary school in Stevenage, took up karate at five, and enrolled at Cambridge Arts and Sciences, a sixth-form college, in February 2001.

His first meeting with Ron Dennis, at a karting awards evening in 1995, has become one of the sport’s most repeated stories, and it holds up under scrutiny. The nine-year-old Hamilton approached the McLaren boss and said: “Hi. I’m Lewis Hamilton. I won the British championship and one day I want to be racing your cars.” Dennis wrote back in Hamilton’s autograph book: “Phone me in nine years, we’ll sort something out then.” McLaren signed Hamilton to its young driver programme in 1998, at thirteen, nine years before his 2007 Formula 1 debut with the same team.

Lewis Hamilton’s Career Before Formula 1

Hamilton began karting at Rye House Kart Circuit at eight, racing for Martin Hines’s Zip Young Guns team, and won his first British Championship soon after, the win that led to the Dennis encounter. He moved through Junior Yamaha in 1997, won a second British title and the Super One series in 1998, and progressed through Intercontinental A, Formula A and Formula Super A, winning the European title in 2000.

He stepped up to Formula Renault in 2002 with a fifth place in the British Formula Renault Winter Series, then took third overall in the full 2002 UK season with Manor Motorsport. He won the 2003 championship with Manor, ten wins and 419 points against runner-up Alex Lloyd’s 377. McLaren tested him over the 2004 winter, and Williams reportedly came close to signing him before their engine supplier BMW declined to fund the move. Hamilton stayed with McLaren, made his Formula 3 Euro Series debut with Manor in 2004, and won the 2005 title with ASM, fifteen wins from twenty races.

He moved to ART Grand Prix, ASM’s sister team, for GP2 in 2006 and won the title at his first attempt, ahead of Timo Glock and Nelson Piquet Jr. The timing suited McLaren, who needed to replace Juan Pablo Montoya and the departing Kimi Räikkönen alongside incoming two-time champion Fernando Alonso. Hamilton beat Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett to the seat and was promoted to a full-time McLaren race drive for 2007.

McLaren (2007 to 2012)

Hamilton finished third on his Formula 1 debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, then set several rookie records that stood for years afterward: joint-most wins in a debut season with four, most consecutive podiums to start a career with nine, and most points in a debut season with 109. He and teammate Alonso clashed repeatedly through the season, a rivalry that cost both of them the title, which went to Kimi Räikkönen by a single point at the final round. Alonso’s McLaren contract ended by mutual agreement after the season; Hamilton signed an extension through 2012.

His 2008 season went further: five wins, ten podiums, and a title fight with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa that went to the final lap of the final race in Brazil, where Hamilton passed Toyota’s Timo Glock at the last corner to take the position he needed. He became the first British champion since Damon Hill in 1996.

The four seasons that followed produced no further titles, and the first of them opened with a scandal rather than a result. Hamilton was disqualified from the 2009 Australian Grand Prix after he and sporting director Dave Ryan gave stewards misleading evidence about a safety-car-period pass on Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, telling the hearing Hamilton had not been ordered to let Trulli by when he had been; the FIA stripped Hamilton of his third-place finish and reinstated Trulli, and McLaren fired Ryan a week later. Hamilton avoided any further sanction after a public apology, and the car itself improved through a season played out under a new aerodynamic ruleset, enough for wins in Hungary and Singapore and fifth in the championship. He added two more wins, in Canada and at Spa-Francorchamps, in 2010, staying in title contention until the final round in Abu Dhabi before finishing fourth behind teammate Jenson Button. His 2011 season was the least productive of the four, three wins in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi undercut by a run of on-track collisions with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, in Singapore and again in Japan, that left him fifth in the championship. He closed out his McLaren career with four wins and fourth in the championship in 2012, then announced his move to Mercedes, replacing the retiring Michael Schumacher, at the end of that year. His McLaren era closed with one championship and 22 race wins across six seasons.

Mercedes (2013 to 2024)

The move looked backward at the time: Mercedes had struggled since returning as a works team, and Hamilton’s first season there brought a single win, at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, and little else. The 2014 turbo-hybrid regulation change changed everything. Mercedes won sixteen of nineteen races that year, eleven of them Hamilton’s, and he took his second title in a fight that turned bitter with new teammate Nico Rosberg. The low point came at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, where Rosberg’s front wing struck Hamilton’s rear tyre at Les Combes on the second lap, ending Hamilton’s race; Hamilton said afterwards that Rosberg had admitted to him privately that he had not tried to avoid the contact. Mercedes called both drivers in for a formal meeting, after which Rosberg accepted responsibility and apologised, and the team warned that no further contact between its own cars would be tolerated. He dominated 2015, ten wins and a then-record seventeen podiums, matching his idol Ayrton Senna’s tally of three championships, and signed a three-year extension reported at around £100 million that included provisions over his image rights and cars.

The 2016 title fight went to new teammate Nico Rosberg by five points despite Hamilton taking more poles and wins across the season, a result made more bitter by Rosberg retiring immediately afterward. Hamilton beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to a fourth title in 2017, setting a new career pole record along the way, then beat him again in the closely fought 2018 “Fight for Five,” six wins in seven races turning a mid-season deficit into a fifth title and a single-season points record of 408. His sixth title followed in 2019, eleven wins and seventeen podiums again, a 413-point season that beat his own record from the year before.

The 2020 season, run on a condensed pandemic-affected calendar, brought an eleventh win of the year at the Turkish Grand Prix and a seventh championship, matching Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record. The 2021 season is remembered for its ending: eight wins across the year, including a drive from the back of the grid to victory in Brazil, then a title lost on the final lap at Abu Dhabi after a contested late safety car restart handed Max Verstappen the position and the championship. Hamilton has never publicly disputed the result stood; his public comments in the aftermath focused on the season as a whole rather than re-litigating the final lap.

The seasons after that were leaner. 2022 was his first winless year, sixth in the championship with five second-place finishes and no wins, a season in which Mercedes’ new car concept struggled across the field. 2023 continued in a similar vein, competitive without being a title threat. By the time his Mercedes exit was announced, in February 2024, his tenure there had produced six of his seven championships and the large majority of his career win total, a twelve-season stretch by far the longest and most successful spell of his career, closed out as Mercedes’ most decorated driver by a wide margin.

Ferrari (2025 to Present)

Ferrari announced Hamilton’s signing on 1 February 2024, a multi-year contract whose exact length has never been made public, ending his twelve years at Mercedes and pairing him with Charles Leclerc from the 2025 season. It is one of the most significant driver moves in the sport’s history on reputation alone: a seven-time champion joining the sport’s most storied constructor in search of the title that had eluded both of them in different ways.

His first season did not go to plan. Hamilton finished 2025 sixth in the championship, well behind Leclerc, and his closest brush with the top step came early: he won the sprint race and took sprint pole at the Chinese Grand Prix in March, then followed it with second place in the grand prix itself, only for that result to be struck from the classification when stewards found his car’s skid block had worn beyond the legal 9mm minimum, one of three separate technical disqualifications handed out that weekend after Leclerc’s and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly’s cars were also found underweight. He did not finish on a Grand Prix podium again all year and called the season his worst in Formula 1, as Ferrari’s own constructors’ campaign slipped to fourth. Team principal Fred Vasseur put the struggles down to fine margins rather than any single fault, saying of one lost Saturday that Hamilton “did one lap two-tenths slower than Charles and he was out in Q2,” and describing his driver’s mood through the year as “frustrated, but not demotivated.”

The 2026 season has been a clear turnaround. As of 29 July 2026, eleven races into the season, Hamilton sits second in the championship, having taken his first win in Ferrari colours at the Spanish Grand Prix in June. He trailed championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 50 points at that point in the season, with George Russell close behind him for the runner-up position. Hamilton has attributed Ferrari’s early-season shortfall directly to car performance rather than his own adaptation this time: “we’ve been probably like three or four tenths down on the straights in pace and power for the first half” of the season, he said in comments reported in late July, adding that he expected the gap to close in the second half. He also took a pole position at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July, described in contemporaneous reporting as a surprise result given Ferrari’s form through the middle of the season.

His contract situation for 2027 and beyond remains unresolved. Reporting earlier in 2025, sourced to unnamed senior paddock figures, suggested Ferrari had no firm intention of extending his deal beyond 2026, while separate reporting the same year described his existing contract as carrying a possible option through 2027. Neither claim has been confirmed by Ferrari. More recent reporting, from July 2026, describes talks between Hamilton and the team as “decisive” and ongoing, with a resolution expected around the Italian Grand Prix after the summer break rather than settled at the time of writing. Hamilton’s own comments from that period are the clearest first-hand signal available: “I’m still focused. I’m still motivated… I’m going to be here for quite some time.” Ferrari has confirmed nothing beyond the fact that talks are ongoing.

Lewis Hamilton’s Records And Milestones

Beyond the championship and win totals, several of Hamilton’s records are specific to how and where he has won. He became the first driver in Formula 1 history to reach 100 career wins, doing so at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix and passing the previous benchmark of 91, held by Michael Schumacher, in the process. His nine wins at the British Grand Prix are the most any driver has taken at a single circuit, and across his career he has won at 31 different circuits, more than any other driver. Those records sit alongside his overall win, pole and podium totals, most of them built up over the Mercedes years but added to again since his move to Ferrari.

How Many World Championships Does Lewis Hamilton Have?

Hamilton has won seven Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championships, in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. That total equals Michael Schumacher’s record rather than surpassing it; as of 30 July 2026 the two remain tied at the top of the all-time list, with no other driver above five. His first came with McLaren, his following six with Mercedes.

How Many Wins Does Lewis Hamilton Have?

Hamilton has 106 Grand Prix wins as of 30 July 2026, the most of any driver in Formula 1 history by a wide margin. His most recent came at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, his first win since joining Ferrari. Twenty-two of his wins came with McLaren between 2007 and 2012; the rest came with Mercedes and, since 2025, Ferrari.

How Many Races Has Lewis Hamilton Been In?

Hamilton has made 391 Grand Prix starts as of 30 July 2026, spanning nineteen consecutive seasons since his 2007 debut with no year missed.

How Many Podiums Does Lewis Hamilton Have?

Hamilton has stood on 207 Formula 1 podiums as of 30 July 2026, the highest total of any driver in the sport’s history. That figure spans finishes for McLaren, Mercedes and, since 2025, Ferrari, and includes both wins and second or third-place results.

How Many Pole Positions Does Lewis Hamilton Have?

Hamilton has taken 105 career pole positions as of 30 July 2026, an all-time Formula 1 record. He took one of the more recent additions to that tally at the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, his first pole in Ferrari colours, described at the time as a surprise result given the car’s form through that stretch of the season.

What Number Is Lewis Hamilton?

Hamilton races under number 44, the number he used throughout his karting career. It carries family significance beyond the racing itself: his father’s car number plate also featured 44, which Hamilton has described as his family’s lucky number. When Formula 1 introduced permanent driver numbers for 2014, letting drivers keep their choice for the rest of their careers, Hamilton kept 44 rather than switching to the number one reserved for the reigning champion, and he has carried it through his McLaren, Mercedes and now Ferrari years without change.

When Was Lewis Hamilton Born, And How Old Is He?

Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, making him 41 years old at the time of writing. He is among the older drivers on the current grid, having said in 2024 that he intended to keep racing well into his 40s, a stated intention his continued Ferrari drive through 2026 is consistent with.

Who Is Lewis Hamilton Driving For?

Hamilton drives for Scuderia Ferrari, a seat he has held since the start of the 2025 season alongside teammate Charles Leclerc. He spent the twelve seasons before that at Mercedes and the six before that at McLaren, meaning Ferrari is only the third team of his Formula 1 career.

Lewis Hamilton’s Personal Life And Advocacy

Hamilton has used his platform as Formula 1’s first Black driver to speak on racism and diversity in the sport, including taking a knee before races and wearing anti-racism apparel during the period around the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, a period in which Mercedes also ran a black livery it described as a statement on diversity within the team. He has followed a vegan diet since 2017 and has spoken publicly about environmental causes alongside his racing career. Time magazine included him on its 2020 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours, formally invested by the then-Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on 15 December 2021, days after losing the 2021 championship at the final race of the season. He has also twice won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, in 2014 and again in 2020.

Hamilton has been a visible presence in music and fashion alongside his racing career. He became Tommy Hilfiger’s global menswear ambassador in 2018, a partnership that produced the “Tommy X Lewis” collection and a later capsule collection with musician H.E.R. built around organic cotton. He launched his own clothing label, +44, in 2022, in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. At the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix he wore a helmet finished in Pride flag colours to draw attention to human rights conditions in the host country.

Hamilton has held a minority ownership stake in the NFL’s Denver Broncos since the team’s 2022 sale to the Walton-Penner ownership group, a position the team’s own website continues to list him under as of the 2025 season.

Lewis Hamilton’s Off-Track Business And Ventures

Hamilton founded Mission 44, a charitable foundation, in July 2021, backing it with a personal pledge of £20 million. The foundation’s stated purpose is to narrow the gap in employment and education systems for young people from underrepresented backgrounds, and it runs a joint initiative with Mercedes called Ignite, aimed specifically at boosting representation from diverse backgrounds in STEM and engineering education and in the wider motorsport industry.

He founded his own Extreme E off-road electric racing team, X44, in September 2020, and ran it across the series’ first three seasons, from 2021 to 2023. The team won the Extreme E championship in 2022 behind driver Cristina Gutiérrez, who raced for X44 in all three of its seasons alongside a rotating cast that included former World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. X44 left Extreme E after the 2023 season when a change of ownership at its operating partner ended the team’s involvement, a decision unconnected to Hamilton’s own move to Ferrari, with the team saying it would keep an eye on the series’ planned hydrogen-powered successor, Extreme H, rather than confirming any return.

Hamilton backed the launch of Neat Burger, a plant-based fast food chain, when its first restaurant opened near Regent Street in London in August 2019; the chain has since expanded into the United States and been valued at around $70 million. He also founded a film and television production company, Dawn Apollo Films, with his manager Penni Thow in October 2022, describing its purpose as telling “impactful stories” with a focus on social causes. Its highest-profile project to date is “F1,” a fictional feature starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski, which Hamilton worked on as a hands-on producer, helping bring Pitt onto the project and staying involved through editing and score sessions; the film was released in cinemas in 2025 and went on to take more than $600 million at the global box office, the highest total of any sports film in history.

Lewis Hamilton’s Physical Stats And Net Worth

Hamilton stands 174cm tall and weighs around 73kg, putting him closer to the middle of the current grid than either extreme; the full breakdown against the grid’s tallest and shortest drivers is updated each season as the lineup changes. His net worth sits in the $450 to $500 million range, built up through his F1 earnings, endorsements and his outside business ventures, and his current Ferrari deal is reportedly worth close to $100 million a year with bonuses; the fuller breakdown, updated as the figures move, sits on this site’s dedicated net worth and salary page.

Where Does Lewis Hamilton Live?

Hamilton has owned a penthouse apartment in Monaco’s La Petite Maison complex, in the Fontvieille district, since 2012, a short walk from the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. He also owns property in London, New York and Geneva. Monaco’s tax treatment and lifestyle amenities are common reasons cited for the large number of F1 drivers who base themselves there at least part of the year, Hamilton among them.

What Helmet Does Lewis Hamilton Wear?

Hamilton has worn custom helmets made by Bell Racing throughout his entire Formula 1 career since 2007, each built to his own measurements and refreshed with a new design most seasons to reflect a cause or personal theme he wants to highlight that year.

Sources

Page reviewed and updated by Jack Renn, August 2026.

Written by

Jarrod Partridge

Jarrod Partridge is the Co-Founder of F1 Chronicle and an FIA accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following Formula 1. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered F1 races at circuits around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every race report, driver profile, and technical analysis he writes.