Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful Formula 1 driver in the history of motorsport. He is often compared with the greats of the sport but what makes him one of the best in the sport and what records does he currently hold?
Hamilton debuted in Formula 1 in the 2007 season with the McLaren F1 team. In his first year in the sport, he was teamed up with 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
As a rookie in 2007, Hamilton went up against Alonso and finished runner-up in the championship standings. The 7-time world champion is well-known for his aggressive driving style and has been compared with Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
In 2008, the Briton put up a stronger fight on the track and clinched his first title as a Formula 1 driver. Hamilton is the only black driver in the sport to date and he works effectively towards bridging that gap and increasing diversity through his initiatives.
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Most Drivers’ Championship Titles
As of now, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are the only two drivers who have the most drivers championships in Formula 1 with seven wins to their name.
Schumacher clinched the record of 7 titles in the early 2000s by breaking the previous record of 5 titles set by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950s.
Hamilton then went on to equal the number of titles won by the German legend in the mid to late 2010s by adding 6 more titles to his name.
Schumacher grabbed his last/7th title in Formula 1 in 2004 with the Ferrari F1 team while Hamilton won his last/7th title in the 2020 season.
| Driver | Championships | Seasons |
| Michael Schumacher | 7 | 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 7 | 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio | 5 | 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 |
| Alain Prost | 4 | 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 4 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
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Most Grand Prix Wins
Ever since his debut in the sport in 2007, Hamilton has been the most hyped driver on the grid. Even before he made it to Formula 1, the Briton was a known personality for his talents.
The Briton grabbed his first race victory in 2007 at the Canadian Grand Prix and his first title in 2008 and since then he has been on a spree of victories and records. Hamilton won his last race at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Up until 2021, Hamilton even held the record of winning at least a single race in every championship season. He could not hold on to that record for the 2022 season as Mercedes failed to produce a race-winning car in the previous season.
Nevertheless, the Briton holds the record for most Grand Prix in the sport edging only Michael Schumacher himself. Most of the Briton’s wins for the team have come with the Mercedes.
| Driver | Wins |
| Lewis Hamilton | 103 |
| Michael Schumacher | 91 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 53 |
| Alain Prost | 51 |
| Ayrton Senna | 41 |
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Most Pole Positions
Hamilton is the one and only F1 driver to reach triple-digit pole positions in their career. He secured his first pole position in his rookie year at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
It went on to become one of the six pole positions he earned in his first year in Formula 1. Ever since then, the Briton has won at least one pole in every season that he has participated in except 2022.
The Mercedes star scored his 100th pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2021 and currently has less than 300 race starts under his belt.
| Driver | Pole positions |
| Lewis Hamilton | 103 |
| Michael Schumacher | 68 |
| Ayrton Senna | 65 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 57 |
| Jim Clark | 33 |
| Alain Prost | 33 |
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Lewis Hamilton has the most podium finishes in the sport
In his illustrious career, Hamilton has also been able to score most podium finishes in the sport. The lowest number of podiums that the Briton achieved in a single season came in the 2009 season with McLaren and in the 2013 season with Mercedes.
In the 2022 season, Hamilton grabbed 9 podiums.
| Driver | Podiums |
| Lewis Hamilton | 191 |
| Michael Schumacher | 155 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 122 |
| Alain Prost | 106 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 103 |
