Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. His father, Anthony Hamilton, is black and is of Grenadian descent, while his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, is White British, and from Birmingham, making

Karting
Hamilton began karting in 1993 and quickly began winning races and cadet class championships. Two years later, he became the youngest driver to win the British cadet karting championship at the age of ten. That year,

Racist treatment
The first and, as of 2022, the only black driver to race in Formula One, Hamilton has been subject to racist

Hamilton also has interests in music, saying that "music has been a huge passion of mine since I was really young. I started playing guitar when I was 13. In here, I can be me, I can be

McLaren (2007–2012)
Hamilton's first season in Formula One saw him partner two-time and defending World Champion Fernando

Driving style
Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid, excelling across a wide range of areas. He has been described as having an

In 2017, Hamilton told the BBC that he had become vegan because "[a]s the human race, what we are doing to the world ... the pollution [in terms of emissions of global-warming gases] coming from the amount of cows that are being produced is incredible. The cruelty is