Lewis Hamilton is set to start his 16th season in Formula one in Bahrain, aiming to win a record 8th F1 World Championship title
Lewis Hamilton’s journey in F1 began on this day in 2007. In an incredible span of 15 years so far, Hamilton holds the record of winning the most number of races in Formula 1 history. The Brit’s 7 World Championship titles as a driver are the joint-highest alongside Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has gone down into sporting folklore as one of the greatest motor racers ever and arguably the greatest ever Formula 1 driver.
In his debut season, Hamilton drove for McLaren partnering with another legend of the sport, Fernando Alonso. Hamilton finished on the podium in his very first race at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix – he was just 22. That start definitely gave a glimpse of things to come. Hamilton went on to win 4 Grand Prix in his debut season. His first win was at the Canadian Grand Prix and he followed it up by winning the United States, Hungarian and the Japanese Grand Prix in the same year.
In his illustrious career, Lewis Hamilton has won the Drivers’ Championship 7 times and the Constructors’ Championship 8 times. Looking back at his career, it is indeed inspirational to see what a boy whose father had to do 4 jobs to support his son’s karting career, achieved in his career. Hamilton has come a long way from his humble beginnings and has undoubtedly made a name for himself as a sporting legend. The British driver is set to enter his 16th season starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20.
Is Lewis Hamilton looking for redemption this season?
Lewis Hamilton won four consecutive drivers’ championships (2016-2020) dominated the F1 Championship like no one before. However, he missed winning the last championship by a whisker under controversial circumstances.
Hamilton went into the final race of last season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points with Max Verstappen. Hamilton and Verstappen were level on 369.5 points with the Red Bull driver ahead thanks to his nine 2021 GP wins compared to Hamilton’s eight. The Mercedes driver was 11 seconds ahead with six laps to go but then things changed drastically. A controversial decision by race director Michael Masi saw Max Verstappen make the most out of it, darting past Hamilton to win the championship.
A certain section of F1 fans feel Hamilton was hard done by Masi last season and was robbed of his title. Hamilton though, has stated he doesn’t feel that way and made it a point that Verstappen deserves all the applause. However, we do sense a rivalry between the two top drivers and the 2022 season is either going to be Hamilton’s redemption or the season where Verstappen establishes himself as the best active driver in Formula One.
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