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Ask anyone to name a racecar driver off the top of their head, and chances are they will say Lewis Hamilton. That is for good reason, too, as the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion has broken record after record, making him a household name even among those who don’t follow motorsports.
But just in case you missed it, here are three things that you should know about this incredibly skilled and sentimental driver who, as it turns out, is sometimes a bit of a superfan himself.
McLaren gambled on talent over experience when they signed him
With Cadillac taking on veterans Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas for their 2026 debut roster and Mercedes going over seven decades since their last rookie signing, F1 is known to favor experience over youth. So McLaren took a big risk in 1998 when they signed Hamilton to their driver development program in 1998 at 13 years old, just one year older than when the young protege Kimi Antonelli entered the Mercedes development pipeline.
And it was a risk that paid off big time when Hamilton joined the McLaren F1 team proper in 2007. He got a podium right out of the gate, with a third place finish at his debut race in Australia, making him one of only three drivers in F1 to do so alongside Jacques Villeneuve (P2 at the 1996 Australian GP) and Kevin Magnussen (P2 at the 2014 Australian GP, also with McLaren).
But it didn’t stop there. Hamilton scored nine consecutive podiums, including his maiden win at just the sixth race of the year in Canada. It’s a career start that still holds the record for the longest win streak an F1 rookie has ever had. What’s more, Hamilton amassed 12 podiums out of 17 races that year, and finished just one point shy of the Drivers’ Championship behind Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari, making it one of, if not the, most successful rookie seasons in F1 history.
And with the Drivers’ Title he brought the team the following year (becoming the youngest Champion ever at the time), it goes without saying that McLaren’s gamble on a young Hamilton was more than worth it.
The origins of the number 44
From 2014, F1 drivers were given the option to choose a permanent number for themselves for the very first time. Many opted for something of sentimental value, and the same is true for Hamilton and his now iconic 44. It’s a number that has been with him from his very first race, through all the years of karting, and holds great personal meaning to him. That, however, doesn’t tell us where exactly the 44 came from in the first place.
A few years ago, Hamilton explained how this number came to be on his very first go-kart ever. “When I was eight, we got a really old go kart and it was owned by, like, five or six different families,” he said. “My dad got this kart, rebuilt it and we had to enter our first race and my dad didn’t know what number to use. And on the number plate of his car was F44. That’s the number we raced with for many years.”
Over the past 12 years, that 44 has become synonymous with Hamilton himself. It is so ingrained in his racing identity that despite having the option to switch to the number 1 after winning six of his seven world titles between 2015 and 2021, he chose to stick with the 44. It is also part of the name of Mission 44, a charitable organization founded by Hamilton to afford more opportunities and inclusivity in education for young people from underrepresented backgrounds.
He was almost a part of the Top Gun franchise
Hamilton has been involved in several major film projects, including voicing his car alter ego in Cars 2 (specifically, a black 2009 Grand Touring Sports Special GBG Racer with yellow pinstripes) and being heavily involved in the production of the Hollywood blockbuster F1 the Movie.
But his on-screen career could have had another epic addition to it back in 2022, with the release of Top Gun: Maverick. Having seen the original Top Gun as a child, Hamilton was determined to be part of the sequel.
“When I heard the second [Top Gun] was coming out, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to ask [Tom Cruise]” he recalled in an interview with GQ. “I said, 'I don't care what role it is. I'll even sweep something, be a cleaner in the back.'”
Through Cruise, Hamilton was able to get in touch with the film’s director, Joseph Kosinski, about auditioning for a part. He was even in consideration for the role of Lieutenant Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia, an enthusiastic weapons system operator whose childhood dream was to be part of the Navy. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out and Hamilton had to step away from the project as filming would have conflicted with the F1 racing schedule.
Nonetheless, he kept in touch with Kosinski, and the two met with allstar producer Jerry Bruckheimer in late 2021 to discuss a racing-themed project, which would ultimately become F1 the Movie.
But hope is not lost for Hamilton just yet, and with the announcement of a third film installment in the works he might just get to fulfill his Top Gun dreams after all.
Want more surprising facts about this year’s F1 drivers and race tracks? Check out our other Speed Reads:
- Speed Read: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About the Japanese Grand Prix
- Speed Read: 3 Things You Didn’t Know About Isack Hadjar
Cover image via Ferrari Media Centre
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