Lewis Hamilton timeline

First article to be published on BU student-ran website BUzz. Link will appear once published...

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Lewis Hamilton – Timeline

Before some children learned how to ride a bike, Stevenage-born Lewis Hamilton was busy winning the British Karting championship. Since then, the wonder-kid has gone on to become one of Britain’s youngest and biggest ever Formula 1 driver.

Hamilton has accomplished so much in so little time – it may seem like days between winning his first championship to where he is today, winning Formula 1 titles and racing for F1 outfit Mclaren.

1993 – Aged 10, Hamilton wins his first ever championship, with four more British Karting titles coming his way by 1997.

1998 – Hamilton goes on to win his first European Karting title, whilst being spotted by Formula 1 giant Mclaren and signed up as the only ever teenager to be signed by an F1 team.

2000 – 15-year-old Hamilton goes one step further in his karting career, winning the World Karting championship.
2002 – Moving up in the ranks at a steady pace, Hamilton upgrades from go-karts to single-seaters, grabbing third place in his debut season.

2003 – Hamilton brushes aside all competition the next season, clinching the Formula Renault title with two races spare, winning 10 races in the one season.

2004 – A new year, a new class. Hamilton graduates to the Formula Three Euroseries. Although he only grabs one race win, he finishes fifth with a string of impressive results.

2005 – Once more, Hamilton’s second season in a new class proves too much for his rivals. With an astonishing 15 race wins, he is crowned Formula Three Euroseries champion.

2006 – A more successful debut season in the GP2 series, Hamilton dominates the class, booking himself into his first Formula One season the coming year under Mclaren.

2007 – Four F1 wins and six podiums put Hamilton on track to win his first ever Formula One title at the age of just 22. However, a string of disappointing results as the season drew to a close cost him the title as Hamilton was forced to settle for joint-second place with team-mate Fernando Alonso.

2008 – For the third time in his career Hamilton beats his competitors to top his class, becoming the youngest ever Formula One champion with a one-point lead after the final race of the F1 calendar. Hamilton puts pen to paper on a lucrative four-year deal with Mclaren, devoting himself to the Woking-based outfit after winning the team their first drivers’ championship since 1999.

2009 – Racing in a Mclaren MP4-24 deemed unready for the best part of the season, Hamilton averages just a point a race in his third season in Formula One until a flutter of podiums allowed Hamilton to finish a respectable fifth in the drivers’ championship.

Nov 2009 – Fellow Brit Jenson Button signs for Mclaren, making the outfit an all-English ‘dream team’ set to make their collective debut in the 2010 season.

Jan 2010 – Hamilton and Button pose for photos as the new MP4-25 is unveiled at the Vodaphone HQ, Newbury in preparation for the 2010 season.