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* His father was a
former British Rail worker, now an IT consultant
*
Started his racing career at the age of 8.
*
Among his notable performances was a dominant
win at the fifth round held at the Nürburgring,
despite serving a penalty for speeding in the
pit lane
*
At the age of 12 he learnt karate and gained his
first black belt
*
Hamilton is the first black driver of African
or Afro-Caribbean ancestry to compete in F1, although
Willy T. Ribbs had tested an F1 car two decades
earlier.
*
He played football in his school team along with
Ashley Young
*
At the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, he qualified
fourth and finished third in the race, thus becoming
the thirteenth driver to finish on the podium
on his GP début
*
He is the third youngest driver to claim pole
position in a World Championship race
*
His parents separated when he was two.
* Following Lewis’
debut win at Canada in 2007, McLaren Mercedes
broke with tradition by letting him keep the crystal
trophy. Contractually, the team's drivers are
required to relinquish their trophies so they
can be displayed at the McLaren Technology Centre.
* Lewis was given
a diamond-studded helmet organised by diamond
company and McLaren team sponsor Steinmetz, to
wear in the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix
* He is already
the youngest championship leader, the youngest
Briton to win a grand prix and the only driver
since the series started in 1950 to finish all
his first seven races on the podium.
* British magazine Autosport featured him in their
“Top 50 Drivers of 2005” issue, ranking Hamilton
24th.
* After his record-breaking start, Hamilton was
widely praised by the British media, with Frank
Williams describing him as "superhuman".
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