Lewis Hamilton

Monaco GP Odds	Drivers Championship Odds
4.33	3.5

Despite an impressive career and prior F1 championship, Lewis Hamilton’s 2011 racing season was marred by crashes and other distractions, and he ended up a disappointing fifth in points. The emotional struggles came to a head when Lewis and his long-time girlfriend, Nicole Scherzinger, member of the Pussycat Dolls, ended their relationship just before the holidays. Still, with three wins in 2011 and at least one more year on his McLaren contract, Hamilton enters the 2012 Formula 1 season as a favorite, especially with the potentially improved MP4-26.

Like many racers, Lewis Hamilton started in karts early on, at age eight, and he won the British championship at age 10. His relationship with McLaren Mercedes started when he was signed on with its Young Driver Support Programme in 1998. Four years later, he progressed to the Formula Renault series and won this title in 2003. The following year he moved on to the Formula 3 Euroseries and once again scored top points in his second season. In 2006, Lewis beat Nelson Piquet Jr. for the GP2 series title.

The move to Formula 1 was made in 2007 when Juan Pablo Montoya vacated his McLaren seat in favor of NASCAR and when Kimi Raikkonen signed on with Ferrari. Lewis beat out Gary Paffett and Pedro de la Rosa to become Jenson Button’s team mate.

In his first year in Formula 1, Hamilton missed the F1 championship by only one point. However, not many people can say that they achieved a world championship in only their second season, and he did just that in 2008. With this title he set a record as the youngest champion ever in Formula 1. Did he set the bar too high? While fans waited for more success to come, 2009 was a dismal season, blamed on the ill-developed car of that year. In 2010, it was driver error that plagued Lewis, especially at the end of the season.

Where to bet on Lewis Hamilton & betting odds

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