Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 World Champion and the most successful British driver in Grand Prix history by wins and titles. Now racing for Ferrari with his familiar number 44, he sits third in the 2026 standings so far with 214 points and one win.

Early rise

Born in Stevenage in 1985, Hamilton won the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005 and the GP2 title in 2006, arriving in Formula 1 with McLaren in 2007 amid rare expectation. The transition was seamless: four wins and second in the championship at the first attempt, missing the title by a single point.

McLaren years

Hamilton delivered McLaren’s last drivers’ crown to date in 2008, taking five wins and 98 points across a taut season resolved at Interlagos, where a late overtake secured the fifth place he needed. He won twice in 2009 and three times in both 2010 and 2011, then four races in 2012. The table shows he closed his McLaren stint with consistent top-five championship finishes: P5 in 2009, P4 in 2010, P5 in 2011, and P4 in 2012.

Mercedes dominance

A move to Mercedes in 2013 yielded one win that year and fourth overall as the team prepared for the hybrid era. From 2014, the scale of Hamilton’s impact was clear: 11 wins and the title in 2014, 10 wins and another title in 2015, and 10 wins while narrowly missing the crown in 2016. He then won the championship in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 with 9, 11, 11 and 11 victories respectively. He fought for an eighth title in 2021, taking eight wins and finishing second with 387.5 points.

Reset and adaptation

The shift in competitive order from 2022 demanded adjustment. Hamilton completed his first winless season in Formula 1 in 2022, classified sixth with 240 points, then took third in 2023 with 234 points but again without a win. The drought ended with two victories in 2024, though the final classification of seventh with 223 points shows how uneven that campaign was. In 2025 he finished sixth with 156 points.

Ferrari chapter

By 2026 Hamilton is with Ferrari, adding the sport’s most storied team to a résumé already spanning McLaren and Mercedes. The table has him third in the standings so far with 214 points and one win, a platform that keeps him in live contention as the season unfolds.

Records and racecraft

The statistical picture is stark. Adding the wins from each season in the table gives Hamilton 106 Grand Prix victories to date. His title years are spread across distinct technical eras, from V8s to hybrids, underscoring an ability to recalibrate as regulations evolve.

Legacy and influence

Hamilton’s impact reaches beyond lap times. He has used his profile to push for greater diversity and opportunity in motorsport and the wider engineering pipeline, while his visibility has broadened Formula 1’s audience. On track, his career arc—rookie contention in 2007, a first crown in 2008, a sustained period of dominance from 2014 to 2020, and competitive reinvention since 2022—reads as a continuous thread of adaptation and ambition. He continues to race under number 44, a constant amid change that has become part of his identity on the grid.

The numbers that define him

The championship table captures the breadth of Hamilton’s career at a glance: P2 on debut in 2007 with 109 points and four wins; the 2008 title with 98 points and five wins; then titles in 2014 (384 points, 11 wins), 2015 (381 points, 10 wins), 2017 (363 points, 9 wins), 2018 (408 points, 11 wins), 2019 (413 points, 11 wins) and 2020 (347 points, 11 wins). Near-misses include 2016, when he took 10 wins and 380 points, and 2021 with eight wins and 387.5 points. In 2026—third with 214 points and a win so far—he is still part of the title conversation. Across two decades, the common factor is his capacity to turn opportunities into results.

Lewis Hamilton is 41 years old, was born in Stevenage, United Kingdom and first entered Formula 1 in 2007. The British driver races for Ferrari under number 44.