Lewis Hamilton has been involved with the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Program since its inception in 1998. He moved through the ranks of karting winning various Championships including the 'McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future' karting series in 1998. Lewis dominated the 2003 British Formula Renault Championship winning 10 out of the Championship's 15 races.
In 2004 Lewis competed in the prominent Formula 3 Euro series with Manor Motorsport, powered by Mercedes-Benz engines. In 2005, Lewis dominated the F3 Euro Series Championship, in a car powered by Mercedes-Benz.
On September 8, 2006 Lewis won the GP2 Series Championship with the ART team at Monza in Italy, winning five out of 22 rounds.
Hamilton was given a race seat at McLaren in 2007, partnering with then defending champion Fernando Alonso. Hamilton displayed remarkable driving abilities in his rookie season and narrowly missed winning the season's championship by two points when he faltered in the last two races of the season. He won four races and six poles and was on the podium for the first nine races of the season. It was the most successful rookie season in the history of Formula One.
Hamilton's sophomore season in 2008 saw him lead McLaren after Alonso left the team early. He won his first Formula One championship after having a consistent season with five victories and 10 podium finishes. He almost missed out on the title again in the season's final race, when he lost a spot in the final few laps and it looked like race winner Felipe Massa would steal the title. But Hamilton powered on and his fifth place finish in the finale was good enough to earn him his first title by one point over Massa. At just 23 years old, Hamilton is Formula One's youngest champion.
