Believe it or not, this week marks 10 years since Lewis Hamilton first made his name in Formula 1. Even though Lewis’s first drive in a Formula 1 car didn’t come until 2007, it was a year prior that McLaren announced he would be driving alongside Fernando Alonso for the 2007 season. But where did it all begin for one of Britain’s greatest ever Formula 1 drivers?
Like most F1 stars Lewis made his name in karting, but it was long before that he discovered his love of motor sport. His first taste of racing came in 1991 when his dad bought him a radio-controlled car, and it wasn’t long before Lewis was racing it competitively. After winning a number of club championships and finishing second in the British Radio Car Association Championship Hamilton was hooked, which made a move into karting almost inevitable.
Aged six Lewis received his first kart as a Christmas present, but it wasn’t until he turned eight that he started racing competitively. His kart didn’t just sit in the garage though, Lewis spent as much time as he could at his local circuit; Karting Hoddesdon. The 1km long track was the prefect place for him to perfect his technique, so when it came to making his competitive debut Lewis knew exactly what he had to do to get the best out of his kart. Lewis also knew the track like the back of his hand too, which meant he could match almost anybody in terms of lap times.
After making his competitive debut it was only a matter of time before Lewis won his first race race, and championships soon followed too. It wasn’t just the race victories that made Lewis stand out though, it was his maturity behind the wheel, love of racing and killer instinct that set him apart from other racers.
Lewis’s reputation grew race by race and by the age of ten he had claimed his first British Karting Championship, which brought him to the attention of McLaren team boss Ron Dennis. Lewis made sure the McLaren boss knew who he was though, and when he approached him for an autograph he said: “Hi. I’m Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars”. Impressed by Lewis’s confidence Ron Dennis signed the autograph book and wrote: “Phone me in nine years, we’ll sort something out then”.
After claiming his first British Championship Lewis continued to dominate the karting scene within his age group, and with his second British Championship in the bag, as well as a Super One Series victory he received the phone call McLaren team principle Ron Dennis had promised him. Lewis was signed to McLaren’s driver development program aged 13, which after stints in Formula Renault, Formula Three and GP2 saw him progress to the seat of a Formula 1 car – and the rest is history..
So if you want to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, why not visit your local Karting Nation venue, or visit Karting Hoddesdon where Lewis learnt how to race like an F1 driver.