Hamilton makes his 300th F1 start in France! How many successes has the seven-time champion achieved in his career?

Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly not only one of the best drivers in Formula 1 history, but also a significant figure in motorsport. In the French Grand Prix, the seven-time champion will pass the 300-start mark in F1. What has he achieved in his time in the queen of motorsport?

300 starts in Formula One – that’s exactly the mark Hamilton will reach on Sunday afternoon when all five lights go out at France’s Paul Ricard circuit and the drivers go into battle for victory.

In the entire history of the queen of motorsport, only five other drivers have managed this feat, namely Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen.

“I think that the first Grand Prix will always be just one and then the first victory – or also the home race. Probably those three experiences are the most meaningful for me,” Hamilton said in an interview with F1.

Fernando Alonso as the strongest competitor

Hamilton also had to name one of his strongest competitors, or the rival who has always been the hardest to race against.

“I think it’s hard to say the name of the strongest competitor, but I remember my task of racing alongside Fernando (Alonso) when I was 22. You know, I was so young, not only mentally but also in terms of skills. But to go up against a big man like him is a lot of pressure,” Hamilton explained.

“Outside of pure pace, I think I would say it would be Fernando and his ability. We’ve had some good battles together and I wish we could have had more. So hopefully he’ll continue to race in the future and we’ll have more of them,” he concluded.

Hamilton’s amazing career

Hamilton made his Formula One debut in the 2007 Australian Grand Prix and immediately finished on the podium. His first win came in the same year, at the Canadian Grand Prix.

In June this year, Autosport published a list of the records Hamilton has already broken in his career. And objectively, it can be noted that in many cases these are incredible feats.

Besides, in 299 races, only nine times has Hamilton failed to finish in the points. Twenty-eight times, however, he has retired from a Grand Prix, whether due to a collision or a technical failure. He has finished on the points in 76 races (excluding podiums) and has been on the podium 186 times.

At the end of the 2020 season, Hamilton matched Schumacher’s record for the most championships won (7) and currently holds the top spot for races won (103).

F1, Autosport