📍Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
1985 – 2002“Lewis Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in January 1985, and grew up in this post-war new town north of London, with its housing estates, roundabouts and pedestrianised centre. His father, Anthony, is of Grenadian descent, and his mother, Carmen, is white British; they separated when he was two, and he lived with his mother and half-sisters until about the age of ten, when he moved in with his father and stepmother, Linda, and his younger half-brother, Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy and whom Lewis adores. He grew up in a council house, and he has spoken about the bullying and racial abuse he faced in Stevenage, where he was often one of the only Black children at school; his father taught him to answer it by excelling. He took up karate to defend himself. When he was about seven, his father bought him a battered second-hand go-kart for Christmas and rebuilt it, and Lewis began racing at the Rye House circuit in Hertfordshire. Anthony worked several jobs at once, sometimes three or four, and remortgaged the house to pay for his son's karting. At ten, Lewis met McLaren boss Ron Dennis at an awards ceremony and told him he wanted to race for him one day. McLaren signed him to its young driver programme at thirteen. In 2007 he joined McLaren in Formula One, and he went on to win a record-equalling seven world championships, becoming the sport's most successful driver and a campaigner for diversity. He has often credited his father's sacrifices in Stevenage.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today