Driving style at the
2008 British Grand Prix. Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid, He has been described as having an aggressive driving style, with a natural aptitude for identifying the limits of the car. Mark Hughes, writing for the official Formula One website, described how Hamilton is "super-hard on the brakes ... but has a fantastic ability to match how quickly the downforce is bleeding off with his modulation of the pressure so that there's no wasted grip but no locked wheels either."
Paddy Lowe, previously the engineering director for McLaren, described how Hamilton is comfortable with levels of rear instability that most other drivers would find intolerable.
Pedro de la Rosa, a former test driver for McLaren who worked with Hamilton and Alonso, rated the pair as the best he had seen first hand, stating that they shared a strength in terms of "how much speed they can run into the apex [of a corner] and still have a decent exit speed", highlighting in particular their ability to maintain this speed when their rear tyres have lost grip during a longer stint.
Ross Brawn wrote that "over the course of [2018], Hamilton hardly put a foot wrong, winning not only the races he should have, but also some where the opposition was stronger, and that is the true mark of a champion." Ahead of the season,
Martin Brundle, commentating for Sky Sports, said "I think what has stood out about Lewis over the years is how few mistakes he makes, how complete he is and clean ... he just never makes a mistake [in] wheel-to-wheel combat [or] in qualifying ... He just doesn't fade, mentally or physically." in torrential rain, and compared the conditions to his victory at the
2008 British Grand Prix. Hamilton is regarded as one of the best wet-weather drivers in the sport, with some of his best performances occurring in those conditions. In the
2008 British Grand Prix, Hamilton bested second-place
Nick Heidfeld by over a minute, the largest margin of victory recorded since the
1995 Australian Grand Prix. During the turbo-hybrid era, Hamilton remained unbeaten in every race affected by wet weather from the
2014 Japanese Grand Prix up to the
2019 German Grand Prix, where his almost five-year streak was broken by
Max Verstappen. His wet weather drive at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix where he clinched his seventh world title was widely acclaimed, with
Joe Saward describing it as "one of his greatest performances". Hamilton cited the race as his "stand-out" performance of the season. .
Ayrton Senna was a major influence on Hamilton's driving style; he recalled: "I think it's partly because I watched [him] when I was young and I thought 'this is how I want to drive when I get the opportunity' and I went out there and tried it on the kart track. My whole approach to racing has developed from there." He has been compared to Senna in raw speed. In 2010, Hamilton drove Senna's original title-winning
McLaren MP4/4 as part of a tribute documentary by the BBC motoring show
Top Gear. In the documentary, along with fellow racing drivers, he named Senna as the number one driver ever. Earlier in his career, Hamilton was criticised for being hot-headed at times, as demonstrated when he was disqualified in Imola in the
GP2 Series for overtaking the safety car, something he went on to repeat four years later in Formula One at the
2010 European Grand Prix in Valencia. Following his move to Mercedes, Hamilton was credited with demonstrating greater maturity, while maintaining his ruthlessness and aggression. The official Formula One website describes him as "invariably a fierce but fair fighter". Several Formula One drivers and experts have described Hamilton as the greatest Formula One driver of all time.{{efn-num|These include former Jordan team boss
Eddie Jordan, ex-drivers
Eddie Irvine,
Johnny Herbert,
David Coulthard, and
John Watson, Between race weekends Hamilton has on several occasions travelled around the world to explore a variety of interests, such as in 2018 where, after winning the
Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton flew to Shanghai and New York where he released his own designer clothing line with
Tommy Hilfiger, before flying immediately back to, and winning, the
next race in Singapore. Figures in the sport, such as
Emerson Fittipaldi and
Christian Horner, have voiced their support for Hamilton's ability to connect with fans, while
Bernie Ecclestone frequently commented on his admiration of Hamilton's ability to promote the sport, observing how he is happy to engage with fans, unlike some of his peers. In 2019,
The Telegraph sports journalist Luke Slater went as far as to argue that "[t]here have been few better representatives of the sport than Hamilton ... [both] on and off the track." Following Hamilton's knighthood in 2020, newly appointed Formula One CEO
Stefano Domenicali said that Hamilton is "a true giant of our sport" and that "his influence is huge both in and out of a car". A prodigious talent as a teenager, Hamilton established himself as one of the world's best drivers following his record-breaking rookie year. Paddy Lowe has suggested that "he turned out to be the best rookie there has ever been" and that "his first half-season is just the most extraordinary in history." In spite of this, Hamilton's less successful years with McLaren have also been cited as a demonstration of driving ability as Hamilton has won
at least one race in fifteen consecutive seasons, After Hamilton clinched his second and third World Championship titles with Mercedes in 2014 and 2015,
David Coulthard declared Hamilton the best driver of his generation, calling him "the Ayrton Senna of his era". After winning his fourth and fifth world titles, Hamilton's place among the greats of the sport became firmly established in the opinions of experts, rivals, and teammates alike, including among others
Fernando Alonso,
Carlos Sainz Jr.,
Felipe Massa,
Gerhard Berger, and
Ross Brawn. Some journalists and pundits also consider the possibility of Hamilton being the greatest Formula One driver of all time. Following Hamilton clinching a sixth World Drivers' Championship title in 2019, ex-Formula One driver and pundit
Johnny Herbert acclaimed Hamilton as the greatest driver ever, while Formula One staff writer Greg Stuart described Hamilton as "arguably the most complete Formula [One] driver ever". After Hamilton won his seventh title in 2020,
John Watson stated that Hamilton "is, by a million miles, the greatest driver of his generation and you can argue he will go on to be the greatest Formula One driver of all time", and highlighted his fearlessness as being key to his success, as evidenced by his performance against double world champion team-mate Alonso in his rookie season and his decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes.
Helmet From a young age, Hamilton's helmet throughout his karting years was predominantly yellow with blue, green and red ribbons. In later years, a white ring was added and the ribbons were moved forward to make room for logos and advertisement space. Hamilton continued to run a yellow design throughout the early stages of his Formula One career, but in 2014 decided to switch to a white design with three red ribbons on the side. In 2016, Hamilton added three stars beneath the ribbons, representing each of his World Drivers' Championships. Hamilton selected his helmet design from fan submissions in 2017; the winning design used a white and yellow base colour with red and orange details. Over the following seasons, Hamilton began a tradition of adding more stars to his helmet upon winning each title. Having switched back to a 2014-inspired white-and-red design in 2018, Hamilton opted for a different colour palette in 2020, which used matte black as base colour with purple details; he later added a
Black Lives Matter emblem to the lid, in support of the movement. In 2022, he moved to a fluorescent yellow design, retaining the purple details and championship stars. Upon signing with
Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton reverted to a design reminiscent of the early stages of his Formula One career, featuring yellow as the base color along with red accents and championship stars, complemented by the
Ferrari emblem replacing the Mercedes logo. Hamilton has used several one-off helmet designs across his career. Hamilton sported gold helmets for season finales three times in his career. After winning his fourth title in 2017, he entered the
2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a gold helmet with four stars adorning the top of the helmet with the words "World Champion". He used similar designs in
2018 and
2019 with five and six stars, respectively. This practice altered in
2020, when Hamilton wore his base helmet with gold outlines and accents, instead of a full gold design. .|right Hamilton has also used one-off helmet designs to pay tribute to his influential figures. He has continuously brought special helmet designs to
Brazilian Grands Prix, in tribute to
Ayrton Senna. After post-race comments made by Hamilton, which suggested he had been forced into a supporting role, the FIA investigated whether McLaren had broken rules by enforcing team orders. McLaren denied favouring Alonso, and the FIA subsequently vindicated the team, stating that "McLaren were able to pursue an optimum team strategy because they had a substantial advantage over all other cars ... nothing which could be described as interfering with the race result." Alonso was relegated to sixth place on the starting grid thus promoting Hamilton, who had qualified second, to first, while McLaren was docked Constructors' Championship points. Hamilton said he thought the penalty was "quite light if anything" and only regretted the loss of points. Hamilton was reported to have sworn at Dennis on the team radio following the incident. British motorsport journal
Autosport claimed that this "[led] Dennis to throw his headphones on the pit wall in disgust: a gesture that was misinterpreted by many to be in reaction to Alonso's pole"; however, McLaren later issued a statement on behalf of Hamilton that denied the use of any profanity. As a result of the events over the 2007 season, the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso reportedly collapsed, with the pair not on speaking terms for a short period. In the aftermath it was reported that Hamilton had been targeted by
Luca di Montezemolo regarding a Ferrari drive for . The rivalry between the pair led to speculation that either Hamilton or Alonso would leave McLaren at the end of the season; Alonso and McLaren terminated their contract by mutual consent in November that year, ending his and Hamilton's time as teammates. with Alonso praising Hamilton in 2017 saying "[Hamilton] was able to win with a dominant car, with a good car like 2010 or 2012, or with bad cars like 2009 and 2011. Not all the champions can say that." Teammates Hamilton and Alonso won eight of 17 races held. Both drivers achieved four victories and 12 podium finishes, whilst Hamilton outqualified Alonso ten of 17 times. At the end of their season as teammates, the pair were tied on 109 points, with Hamilton placing second and Alonso third in the World Drivers' Championship by virtue of Hamilton having more second-place finishes.
Nico Rosberg When Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, he was paired alongside old karting teammate and friend
Nico Rosberg. Over their four seasons as teammates, a period of Mercedes dominance in Formula One, the pair's relationship became strained and, at times, led to volatile confrontations on and off the track. Hamilton and Rosberg were first teammates in 2000, when they were in karting. They raced for Mercedes Benz McLaren in Formula A, where Hamilton became European champion, with Rosberg not far behind.
Robert Kubica, who raced with them before Formula One, recalled how they were competitive both on and off the track, saying that "they would even have races to eat pizza, always eating two at a time." Sports journalist Paul Weaver contrasts their upbringings; In their time together as teammates, Hamilton and Rosberg won 54 of 78 races over four seasons. Hamilton had 32 victories, 55 podium finishes, and qualified ahead of Rosberg 42 times, while Rosberg had 22 victories, 50 podium finishes, and qualified ahead of Hamilton 36 times. During this period, Hamilton won two World Championship titles to Rosberg's one, and scored more points in three out of their four seasons together.
Sebastian Vettel Hamilton describes his rivalry with
Sebastian Vettel as his favourite, believing their battles helped bring them closer together. After three years of Mercedes's dominance from 2014 to 2016, Ferrari produced a car that was capable of fighting for the championship in 2017 and 2018. Vettel, who was then driving for
Ferrari, enjoyed an early lead on points, but Mercedes and Hamilton fought back to reduce point deficits and ultimately won the championships in both seasons. While there were some on-track flash points, most notably the
2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when Vettel accused Hamilton of
brake checking and drove into Hamilton in retaliation, earning a penalty, the pair developed a strong mutual respect in a hard but fairly contested fight. In 2021, Hamilton recalled:
Public image and influence Racist treatment The first and, as of 2026, the only black driver to race in Formula One, Hamilton has been subject to racist abuse throughout his career. In 2007, Hamilton suffered racist abuse from Spanish Formula One supporters at the
Chinese Grand Prix. In 2008, Hamilton was heckled and otherwise abused during pre-season testing at the
Circuit de Catalunya by several Spanish spectators who wore
black face paint and black wigs, as well as shirts bearing the words "Hamilton's ". The
FIA warned Spanish authorities about the repetition of such behaviour, and launched a "Race Against Racism" campaign. Shortly before the
2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, a website owned by the Spanish branch of the New York-based advertising agency
TBWA and named
pinchalaruedadeHamilton, which translates into English as "burst Hamilton's tyre", was featured in the British media. The site contained an image of
Interlagos that allowed users to leave nails and porcupines on the track for Hamilton's car to run over. Among thousands of comments left since 2007, some included racial insults. In 2021, Hamilton was subjected to online racist abuse following a controversial win at the
British Grand Prix.
Mercedes, Formula One, and the
FIA issued a joint statement condemning the abuse and called for those responsible to be held accountable. Hamilton's treatment by the media and critics has, at times, been criticised as being racist. In 2014,
The Guardian journalist Joseph Harker highlighted double-standards in Hamilton's treatment compared to other British drivers by British newspapers, suggesting that his skin colour has played a factor in a perceived lack of acceptance among the British public. In 2019, footballer
Rio Ferdinand described media scrutiny of Hamilton as having "racist undertones" and contrasted Hamilton's treatment to that of fellow British driver
Jenson Button. At the start of his Formula One career, Hamilton said that he "tried to ignore the fact [he] was the first black guy ever to race in the sport" but later stated that he had since grown to "appreciate the implications", and changed his approach to promote equality within the sport. In 2019,
Toto Wolff, Hamilton's team boss at Mercedes, described how Hamilton was "scarred for life" by racist abuse inflicted during his childhood.
Media reception In December 2018,
Stevenage-born Hamilton caused controversy at the
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards where he said on live television, "It really was a dream for us all as a family to do something different. For us to get out of the slums" before immediately correcting himself, saying, "Well, not the slums, but to get out of somewhere and do something. We all set our goals very, very high but we did it as a team." While Hamilton immediately sought to correct his remarks, the leader of
Stevenage Borough Council described the comments as "disappointing" and observed that people felt "very offended". Hamilton posted a video on
Instagram in which he apologised for his comments, saying: "I'm super proud of where I come from and I hope you know that I represent in the best way I can always ... Particularly when you are up in front of a crowd, trying to find the right words to express the long journey you've had in life, I chose the wrong words." The town mayor subsequently accepted his "gracious apology". , London Hamilton's contribution and influence has been recognised regularly in the
Powerlist, an annual list of the most influential Black Britons, in which he has ranked in the top 10 in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, Hamilton was named the most influential Black Briton in the
14th Powerlist, for his sporting success and his advocacy in the
Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020, he was listed as one of
Time magazine's
100 most influential people globally, and was
knighted in the
2021 New Year Honours for services to motorsports. Hamilton was one of several figures whose tax arrangements were singled out in a report by the charity
Christian Aid in 2008. That year, Hamilton received criticism from
members of parliament for
avoiding UK taxes. Following the leak of the
Paradise Papers in November 2017, it was reported that Hamilton had avoided paying £3.3 million of
value added tax (VAT) on his private jet, worth £16.5 million. According to
BBC Panorama, the leasing deal set up by his advisers appeared to be "artificial" and "did not comply with an EU and UK ban on VAT refunds for private use". The BBC also said that Hamilton's Instagram account provided evidence that the jet was used for personal trips. Whilst not residing in the UK,
HMRC data published in 2019 puts Hamilton among the top 5,000 highest UK tax payers. Hamilton told
The Sunday Times in 2014: "What people don't realise is that I pay tax here [in the UK], but I don't earn all my money here. I race in 19 different countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay tax in several different places, and I pay a lot [in the UK] as well. I am contributing to the country." ==Other ventures==