A champion in every sense of the word.
Lewis Hamilton has made countless headlines for his driving feats in Formula One for over a decade.
With his name being bandied about on social media after being horrifically vilified by Nelson Piquet, let’s go through precisely what Hamilton has done in his career;
Here are his top five victories as a race driver through his incredible seven-time championship-winning career.
Number 5
Monza, Italian GP 2018
The crowd is always against you at Monza if you are not driving the red Ferrari.
It was a Ferrari front-row lock out with Kimi Raikkonen on pole and Sebastian Vettel second.
Lewis Hamilton had to negotiate the two from position three on the grid to significant effect.
It was then up to Hamilton to chase down Raikkonen.
Lap 44 is when the British champion would make his move as he slung around the outside of Raikkonen, heading into the first chicane.
With the overtake complete, Hamilton would record his 68th career victory and an integral result on the way to his 2018 championship triumph.
Number 4
circuit gilles villeneuve, canadian gp 2007
Lewis Hamilton set up his maiden Formula 1 victory with a stunning pole-position lap in qualifying.
He almost got cleaned up by teammate Fernando Alonso at the first corner, but he kept his composure to veer away and power on in the lead.
With four safety cars affecting the race and all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, Hamilton held his nerve.
In 70 gruelling laps of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Hamilton would outlast Nick Heidfeld by just over four seconds.
Number 3
shanghai, chinese grand prix 2011
It was a track where the demons remained constant for Lewis Hamilton.
In the Chinese GP of 2007, he was in complete control of his destiny on the road to becoming the first-ever driver since Nino Farina to win the Drivers’ Championship in their rookie season.
But a blunder when entering the pit lane ended his race, and it would ultimately cost him the championship.
Fast forward to the 2011 Chinese GP, things were looking grim again.
After qualifying on the second row, Hamilton would drop back to fifth in the race after the McLaren pit-stop strategy lost out.
Hamilton had to go all guns blazing if he was to catch his team-mate Jenson Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.
The phrase, ‘ Hammer Time,’ a call from team engineers and strategists under Hamilton’s wing to push the car to its limits, was well and truly on show.
Hamilton would reel in Button, Massa and then finally Vettel.
It was a lap-52 move heading into turn seven which saw Hamilton wrestle the lead off Vettel.
At the time, Hamilton described it as one of his ‘top three race wins.’
It is only just it is embedded in our top three.
Number 2
silverstone, british gp 2008
A home grand prix.
There is no better place to win than in front of your home fans.
Lewis Hamilton produced one of the most jaw-dropping drives at Silverstone in what could only be described as horrific conditions.
With rain teeming down and vision at a bare minimum in the cockpit, Hamilton made his move early in the race after qualifying on row two.
He could have his team to thank for a brilliant tyre strategy in the race, but his ability to handle the conditions left everyone in his wake.
Number 1
interlagos, brazilian gp 2008
It might not have been his cleanest drive of all time, but it was the one where mistakes had to rectify.
In his second season as a Formula 1 driver, the championship was in the balance heading into Interlagos.
With only Felipe Massa being his danger, Hamilton only needed to finish fifth if Massa was to win the race.
As things unfolded, errors and sticky conditions turned the race into chaos.
The rain would come and go, strategy and decision-making being of utmost importance.
With only a handful of laps remaining, the rain set in again, and Hamilton needed to capture Timo Glock, who was in fifth place.
Massa would stop for wet-weather tyres, as would Hamilton, but Glock stayed out.
Massa would win the race as the Ferrari team and connections exploded into rapturous applause and cheer as the finish line loomed.
However, with it being evident that the wet tyres were far faster than Glock on the slicks, Hamilton would overtake him on the race’s final turn.
The timing could not have been later.
