http://www.youtube.com/londondolphinLewis Carl Hamilton (born January 7, 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire) is a British Formula One (F1) racing driver, currently racing for the McLaren team.He finished second in the 2007 Formula One Championship, behind Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton has set numerous F1 rookie records and is the first black driver to compete in Formula One.[1] After winning the British Formula Renault, European Formula Three and GP2 championship he became a McLaren F1 driver for 2007. When he was ten,[2] he approached Dennis at an awards ceremony and told him he would drive for McLaren one day; three years later, Hamilton was signed by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz to their Young Driver Support Programme, and ultimately, 12 years after this initial encounter, made his Formula One debut with the McLaren team. He has stated that he wants to stay in the McLaren team for the rest of his F1 career.Personal and early lifeHamilton's paternal grandparents imigrated to the United Kingdom from Grenada in the 1950s. His grandfather worked on the London Underground.[3] His mother Carmen and father Anthony named him after the US Olympic gold medal winning athlete Carl Lewis.[4] Hamilton's parents separated when he was two and, until he was ten, he lived with his mother and half-sisters Nicola and Samantha.[5] After that he lived with his father, step-mother Linda and half-brother Nicholas who has cerebral palsy.Hamilton's first taste of racing competition came at the controls of radio-controlled cars. Father Anthony bought him one in 1991, and Hamilton finished second in the national championship the following year. Hamilton said of the time: "I was racing these remote-controlled cars and winning club championships against adults".[6] That led to Hamilton sampling kart racing for the first time. Aged six, his father bought him his first go-kart as a Christmas present,[7] and would support his racing career as long as he worked hard at school. When supporting his son became problematic Anthony Hamilton took redundancy as an IT Manager and became a contractor - sometimes doing up to three jobs at a time to support his son's career - and still found enough time to attend all his races. He would later set up his own computer company, as well as working as a manager for Hamilton on a full time basis.[8] Lewis Hamilton with Pedro de la Rosa (left), Paul di Resta and Bruno Spengler at Stars and Cars 2007Hamilton attended The John Henry Newman School in Stevenage.[9] He took up karate at an early age when his driving attracted the attention of local bullies. By the time he was twelve, he had gained his first black belt in the sport. He extended his skills to football, playing in his school team alongside current Aston Villa forward Ashley Young as a midfielder.[8]

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