Lewis Hamilton was scouted by ex-McLaren supremo Ron Dennis. His saying to a very young Hamilton, “call me in nine years”, probably stuck the Brit race driver, and he went on to become their first world champion after nine years in 2008, and their only one since then.
However, there were several hiccups before Hamilton could go and represent McLaren. He had to hold several nerves before he could excel and tell the world that a new star was born.
While comparing the overall success of Hamilton, Mclaren seems to have little share in it. But the Woking-based team gave him a platform, but the little kid from Stevenage worked hard for it and went through several uncertainties.
Also read: Why Ron Dennis believed it was a gamble to sign a 21-year-old Lewis Hamilton for McLaren in 2007
When Lewis Hamilton thought he’ll be dropped
After McLaren took Hamilton under their wings. They took care of everything that Hamilton needed, and once he won everything in karting, he was sponsored by the F1 team in the big leagues. But the unforced errors by hamilton in the initial days made him believe he would be ousted by them.
“I won everything in karts, and then I went to cars,” said Hamilton to Gayle King. “Difficult times, you get into new big cars, crashed my first day. Crashed on the second day. It was getting nervous because I thought jeez they gonna drop me.”
Hamilton then reveals that one day in the garage, he was sitting with his family, and they all thought maybe this was it. They all thought Hamilton wouldn’t be able to climb up in the motorsport, but he claims that’s the only time the whole bunch thought like that.
The Hamilton redemption
Hamilton further says he went to bed that day and woke up early the next morning. He went for the longest run he could remember, and the next day he sat in the car and went on to win his next race.
From thereon, Hamilton never looked back and became a sensation in F1 media. Four years later, and on this day, Mclaren announced Hamilton as their driver for 2007, partnering with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
#OnThisDay in 2006 McLaren announced Lewis Hamilton as a 2007 #F1 driver. “Lewis is going to find it tough in the first few races,” said Ron Dennis. “This will be a challenge & I know there’ll be a lot of attention on me,” said Hamilton. I think you came through OK, champ. 👍 pic.twitter.com/JWufnOidor
— Matt Bishop 🏳️🌈 (@TheBishF1) November 24, 2022
In 2007, Hamilton, a rookie sensation, signalled to everyone that they were witnessing a legend. The young Brit won his first F1 race in Canada and then went on to pick 102 more Grand Prix wins over the course of the next 15 years.
From 2007 to 2021, Hamilton won at least one race in every season he entered. 2022 proved to be the only year he failed to win a race. A legendary streak came to an end in Abu Dhabi.
Also read: How 5 GP winner Charles Leclerc got ‘Il Predestinato’ as his nickname?
