Biography [1]

Lewis Hamilton, born January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, has had his eye on Formula 1 for a very long time. At the young age of 10, Hamilton met the owner and director of the McLaren Formula 1 team, Ron Dennis, at an Autosports Awards ceremony. Hamilton bravely told Dennis that he wanted to drive for McLaren in the future. The impromptu interview went well and Dennis later signed Hamilton up for McLaren’s driver development support program, which meant a possible seat with McLaren’s Formula 1 racing team in the future.

After beginning with a successful karting career, Hamilton began tearing up the car racing scene on the junior formula circuit in 2002. That year, he finished third in the Formula Renault series and placed first a year later. It took Hamilton two brief years to master the next level of racing, the Formula 3 Euro Series, where he won 15 of the 20 races in 2005.

Hamilton continued to build on previous years and 2006 was no exception. He captured another championship, this time in the GP2 Series. Soon after, a Formula 1 opportunity came knocking when McLaren drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen left the team to chase other ventures.

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso already occupied one McLaren seat and speculation mounted as to who would ride along with him. In the end, McLaren passed on more experienced drivers to give Hamilton the opportunity to prove himself in the world of Grand Prix racing.

In his rookie season alone, Hamilton has become the youngest driver ever to lead the Drivers Championship, surpassing the record of the venerated Bruce McLaren -- the namesake of team McLaren.

To the shock and awe of Formula fans and fellow drivers alike, Hamilton placed first in both the Canadian and American Grand Prix's, making him a viable contender as winner of the 2007 Formula 1 race season.

Obviously, McLaren’s decision to go with the younger, inexperienced Hamilton is no longer second-guessed, and is even being celebrated. Hamilton is also the first black driver ever to compete in Formula 1. With a career full of firsts, Hamilton is definitely the driver to keep your eye on.
Read Biography [2]