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Lewis Hamilton: The incredible F1 journey to seven titles and history ''Charting the evolution of Lewis Hamilton the driver, and person with Sky F1's Martin Brundle after Hamilton became a seven-time F1 champion in 2020; Hamilton is also now the sport's most successful driver. Just how high could he set the bar on F1's records? Winning a Formula 1 race, let alone 95, would have been little more than a pipedream for a young Lewis Hamilton as he broke down barriers as a karter in Hertfordshire. Winning a Formula 1 title, let alone seven, would have been an incredible achievement for a 22-year-old Lewis Hamilton, even with all his promise upon entering the grid with McLaren.''

''We don't know that he is the 'GOAT', and F1 is quite possibly more difficult to compare the elite from different eras than any other sport. We don't know that he is the greatest British sportsman, and there are certainly plenty of contenders. But what we do now know is that Lewis Hamilton is, officially, the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, and one whose legacy will live long after his retirement.'' "'''For me, what stands out through all of this time is that he's not lost anything in terms of work rate, speed, fitness, race craft, bravery, through all these years," the Sky Sports F1 expert states. "He's just added experience, knowledge and guile to it all.'''"

From that headstrong youngster to F1's winning, and often unstoppable, machine - it's been quite the journey. And how long could it continue?

You've probably heard the story. Hamilton, aged 10 and an aspiring karter, met the title-winning F1 team boss Ron Dennis and told him that he would drive one of his McLaren cars one day.

McLaren, and then engine suppliers Mercedes, duly backed Hamilton through a sparkling junior career from the age of 13 before handing their long-time protégé an F1 seat in 2007 after back-to-back championships in Formula 3 and then GP2.

"'''I'd heard from people I knew from McLaren that he'd got straight in the car and was quick," recalls Brundle about Hamilton, who first tested the MP4-21 in September 2006. "But I think he was making mistakes. One or two people said they didn't think he was ready for F1 yet.'''"

Partnered by Alonso, the reigning two-time champion and presumptive face of F1 following Schumacher's retirement, this was nothing short of an acid test for the young Brit. But…

"If anybody had any doubts, they were put to bed in race one," says Brundle of Hamilton's debut in Australia 2007." "A moment in my mind is the first corner of the first race, when he went around the outside of Alonso and just showed that he'd got all the confidence in the world."

A record-breaking rookie season for Hamilton would follow, although he cruelly missed out on an incredible debut title to Kimi Raikkonen by just a single point - pivotally beaching his car in the gravel at the penultimate race after being left out far too long on old tyres.

"'''But for one bad decision in China he could have his eighth championship right now," says Brundle. "I think the team were probably more to blame than he was in 2007.'''"