Born on 7th January 1985, Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton represents Britain in Formula One racing; Named very aptly after Carl Lewis, the sprinter, his namesake, this speed demon is the youngest black to win a Formula One World Championship. He currently races for the team of McLaren-Mercedes team. When he was merely ten, he had professed his desire to race for McLaren to its team principal, Ron Dennis. In three years, he had joined them as their Young Driver Support Programme. He intends to stay with the McLaren team for the rest of his career in racing.

Major Victories

As a Young Driver of the McLaren team, he went on to win the British Formula Renault,Formula Three Euro Series and GP2 Championships, becoming a McLaren Formula One driver in 2007, twelve years after his declaration to Ron Dennis. Even in the first season itself, he set various records, finishing second to Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. In the very next season, he won the championship, his first, by a mere hairbreadth margin ahead of Felipe Massa.

Major Turning Points

In a really brief career, this young speed racer has taken part in a mere forty four races out of which he won nine of them and twenty two podiums, two hundred and sixteen career points, thirteen pole positions and three fastest laps. His first race was the Australian Grand Prix in 2007, his first victory in the Canadian Grand Prix also in 2007. He last won in the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix. His position in 2008 was first with ninety eight points.

Racial Abuse

Due to his mixed background of a black father and a white mother, Lewis Hamilton has not been spared of attacks from racists. He was heckled verbally and also otherwise suffered abuse when the pre-season testing took place at the Circuit de Catalunya during February 4, 2008 in Catalonia. Many Spanish spectators rudely and offensively painted their faces black and donned black wigs. They also wore shirts which had "Hamilton’s family" written on them. This brash unpopularity could have been caused due to the rivalry he shared with his former team mate Fernando Alonso, who was from Spain. It was in reaction to this conduct of the spectators that the "Race Against Racism" campaign was launched by the FIA in 13 February, 2008. Fernando Alonso, although his competitor, in true sportsman spirit, condemned the narrow mindedness of the racist supporters.