Lewis Hamilton Joins McLaren in Reminiscing Rookie Win at Canada GP 2 Decades After Debut

The Canada GP is a special occasion on the F1 calendar, as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is known for its overtaking action. Lewis Hamilton has a completely different reason to be excited for Canada, as it was on the Montreal track that he won his first race. As we head to Canada, Lewis Hamilton will be preparing himself to race on the track he won 16 years ago.

Although we cannot say that Lewis Hamilton will win the world championship this season, there is a chance that he will win this race. Fingers crossed for all LH44 fans as Mercedes will be implementing their first upgrade of the season. It’s still unknown how much the upgrades will impact the results of the race but Hamilton is clearly excited for the race. This can be easily seen on his Instagram profile, where the 7-time world champion shared pictures of that fateful day.

Lewis Hamilton’s first win in 2007

McLaren gave young Lewis Hamilton a chance, as they put him in a cockpit in 2007 and that was the best decision they could make. Hamilton scored a podium on his debut race in F1 coming 3rd only to stay there for the first 9 races of the season. Montreal, on the other hand, was a different story, as in this sixth-ever F1 race, he won his first Grand Prix. To celebrate his first win, he uploaded a throwback picture of his first win in Formula 1 on Instagram.

The picture is as iconic as ever, with Hamilton jumping off his car while celebrating with his arms spread wide. Who can ever forget the iconic yellow helmet and the white overalls that he rocked as he continued to finish P2 in his debut season? The post was captioned, “22 years old, my first year in F1, and only my 6th race. It was a real dream come true moment. I had so much support that weekend, and I’ve been feeling that support ever since. Thank you all, especially the ones who’ve been along from the jump.”

The then 22-year-old must have known that he was born to become a world champion. A champion whose reign is matched by none other than the legend Michael Schumacher. Hamilton complimented the team that started his career, saying, “I had so much support that weekend, and I’ve been feeling that support ever since. Thank you all, especially the ones who’ve been along from the jump.” Hamilton’s kind words reached his old team as McLaren replied in the comments, saying, “Feels like yesterday, Champ.”

Hamilton has grown since his debut and over the years, he has become the highest record-holding F1 driver in history.

Let’s take a look at what Lewis Hamilton has achieved since 2007

His debut in itself was a historic moment, as he became the first and only black F1 driver on the grid. The very next year after his debut, he won his first world championship title with McLaren in 2008. Since then, it’s just been a long line of records, with more than enough to fill a room. Even imagining his trophy room is difficult, as he has won 103 Grand Prix, holding the record for the most wins. If that was not enough, Pirelli gives a trophy to the drivers that achieve pole position, and, you guessed it, he holds the record for the most pole starts in Formula 1.

Lewis Hamilton is also the highest points-scoring driver in F1, so that’s another record to add to the list with 4193.5 points. It is to be noted that before 2010, winners of a race would only receive 10 points, so that is the reason why this number is not much higher. Lewis Hamilton holds another record for the most consecutive race starts, as he has not taken a break season since he started. Sir Hamilton has by now had 265 back-to-back race starts, showing his dedication to the sport.

That being said, from the start till today, Lewis Hamilton has proved that he is nothing short of a legend. He has many more records to mention and maybe with Ferrari, he might just collect more. It would be hopeful to believe that there is a win or two for him this year also, but only time will tell. Did you know all these details about our 7-time world champion? Let us know in the comments below.