Lewis Hamilton Birthday Special: A Look at Achievements of the Seven-Time Formula One World Champion as He Turns 36

Arguably the greatest Formula One (F1) drivers of all time, Lewis Hamilton turns 36 on January 07, 2021 (Thursday) and wishes are pouring in from all over the world. Hailing from Stevenage, United Kingdom, Hamilton has won as many as seven World Drivers' Championship titles, joint-most for anyone alongside Germany's Michael Schumacher. At the same time, he also holds the records for the most wins (95), pole positions (98) and podium finishes (165). Despite being 36, a lot of fire is still left in Lewis, and one can just imagine what more he could achieve by the end of his career. Lewis Hamilton Knighted in UK New Year Honours List.

Hamilton's love for racing went underway with his father gifting him a radio-controlled car when he was six. At the age of 13, he was signed by McLaren for the driver development programme. With this, Hamilton became the youngest driver ever to secure a contract with a professional F1 racing company. Hamilton joined the McLaren F1 team in 2007, and there was no looking back since then. He won one prominent race after another and emerged as a world-beater in the Formula One world. As the talismanic racing driver turns a year older, let's revisit five of his biggest accomplishments.

1. At the Turkish Grand Prix in 2020, Lewis Hamilton his name in the record books as he equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles. With Schumacher already retired, the Englishman has a great chance to overtake his tally.
2. Hamilton also holds the record of winning for the most number of races. Currently, he has 95 victories to his name over 266 race starts, and he's all but likely to cross the 100-win mark before hanging up his boots.
3. With a total of seven wins at the Silverstone circuit, Hamilton also has most wins at home Grand Prix.
4. Hamilton has won the highest number of different Grand Prix titles (28).
5. Hamilton has most wins with a single constructor. The British star has as many as 73 victories with Mercedes.
6. Hamilton has the most pole positions in the history of F1 with a total of 98 in 266 outings.
7. The star race has most consecutive F1 seasons with at least one pole position, a total of 14 from his debut season in 2007 and is still on-going in 2020.
8. The veteran F1 driver also has the most number of podium finishes with 165 to his name.

For his prolific contribution towards F1 racing, Sir Lewis Hamilton was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on New Year 2021. Meanwhile, it's not certain when the star racer will be back in action as he has reportedly rejected to extend contract with Mercedes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2021 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).