Sports

Lewis Hamilton

His father worked up to four jobs to fund the karting; at ten, Lewis told McLaren's boss he'd drive for him one day.

Born: 1985 · Stevenage, England
Roots: Black British; grandparents emigrated from Grenada
Family: Working class; His parents separated when he was two; his father Anthony stacked IT work with dishwashing and sign-hanging to pay for karts, from a council-estate start.
Education: Left school for the McLaren young-driver programme; finished under tutors
Started with: A radio-controlled car; Raced RC cars at six, beating adults on national TV, before the first secondhand kart.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1995 · age 10
The autograph book
Approaches Ron Dennis at an awards dinner: 'One day I want to be racing your cars.' Dennis writes back: call me in nine years.
1998 · age 13
McLaren signs a child
The youngest driver-development contract in the sport at the time.
2007 · age 22
Rookie season
Loses the title by a single point; wins it the next year — then the youngest champion ever.
2014 · age 29
The Mercedes era
Six more titles across eight seasons.
2020 · age 35
Equals Schumacher's seven
With record wins and poles; still Formula 1's only Black driver.
2021 · age 36
Knighted
His Mission 44 foundation funds underrepresented youth in motorsport and STEM.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.