Over the weekend racing fanatics across the world gathered around their TV’s and, for those lucky few who had tickets, arrived at the circuit in Mexico City to watch the dramatic proceedings of this years 18th Grand Prix unfold. Although the season hasn’t officially ended, with another two Grands Prix scheduled to go ahead this month, Britain’s beloved racer has already secured the F1 championship crown. Lewis Hamilton, who has achieved 9 wins and 12 podiums this season, completed the circuit one lap after Red Bull’s Belgian driver Max Verstappen, whizzed to victory with an impressive time of 1:36:26.552.
Although placing 9th, the lowest position he’s placed all season, wasn’t necessarily Hamilton’s cherry on top of a spectacular season, it was a strong performance considering the chaos he experienced with his opponent, Sebastian Vettel, in the opening lap. A distressed Hamilton could be heard asking his team, “did he hit me deliberately?” after enduring a puncture to his right rear tyre, which ultimately cost him the race. The competition between Vettel and Hamilton has been tense throughout the season. There was a possibility of Hamilton clinching the title in the US Grand Prix, however his German competitor had to place 6th position or less. Instead, Vettel placed a close 2nd making sure Hamilton worked hard for his success.
Image Credit: The Independent
The extraordinary early years
Since his entry into the competitive racing world at the fresh age of 10, Lewis Hamilton’s driving career has gone from strength to strength. Just 3 years after his first major competition, the skilful teen caught the eye of McLaren CEO, Ron Dennis, who went on to sign him to the McLaren young driver programme. In 2008 Hamilton made his mark on the racing world by securing his first ever Formula One win at the youthful age of 23, making him the youngest F1 champion in history. Well, that was until Sebastian Vettel stole the title in 2010.
Following the impressive performance, the world expected Hamilton to start the 2009 season off with a bang, however his luck had started to run short. The three-year period between 2009 and 2012 was a difficult time for the British hopeful, as he became plagued with bad luck. Tense relations with the media, a complicated personal life and vehicle reliability issues prevented a second championship win. But the strong-minded sportsman was determined to come back fighting, and after signing with Mercedes in 2013 Hamilton’s luck took a 360 degree turn, and the British favourite fought back to secure another two, or three when counting his most recent success, championship titles.
Image Credit: The F1 Blogger
The story of legends
Prior to Hamilton’s extraordinary victory on Sunday, the legendary Formula One driver, Sir Jackie Stewart, held the record for most F1 championships won by a British national. The Rolex advocate nicknamed “flying scots” held the title following his wins in 1969, 1971 and 1973. However, no Brit has come close to succeeding the German racer Michael Schumacher, who currently holds the record for the most championship wins in history, having won an astounding 7 times. But will Hamilton dethrone the king of the track? Only time will tell!
Image Credit: BBC
So what does the future hold for this racing addict Brit?
Well, recent statements from the race driver suggest that discussions with Toto Wolff have already begun. When interviewed, Hamilton suggested that his current contract with the Mercedes F1 team has been an ‘easy process’, and that both parties are ‘pretty happy with where they are at the minute’, so we’d all be quite shocked if Hamilton and the sponsor parted ways. Contract confirmations should hopefully come in once the season concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, however if Hamilton proceeds with Mercedes, the collaboration will likely continue until the end of 2020. In terms of competition, Hamilton has stated that for his success to continue into next season, he must ‘step up’ his game because Max Verstappen, the young and hungry-for-success Belgian, is a worrying threat. However, he’s already sent fellow competitors a stark warning by stating “I want number five”.
Image Credit: Lewis Hamilton Twitter
Overall, Hamilton has enjoyed an exhilarating and prosperous career racing in the F1, and it’s clear that the current record holder for the most front row starts has more thriving years ahead of him. I believe I speak for the entire racing community when I say that we are all excited and curious to see what Lewis Hamilton has to offer next season, and whether another championship win is on the cards!
For all the information there is to know about the British racer visit http://www.lewishamilton.com/. Or for a closer look at Formula One’s past and present season statistics click here.
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