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As a child, we mean, more of a child than he is now, well before being a superstar of the racetrack, Lewis Hamilton was already in the limelight. The McLaren-Mercedes driver may be the biggest thing to happen for British F1 fans since Damon Hill claimed the championship 12 years ago, but how has the 23-year-old become so successful? As with most superstars of any sport, it all started at a very young age. This clip from a 1997 BBC program, features an interview with a young Lewis, chronicles his early career from racing remote-controlled cars at the age of six, to his early meeting with McLaren boss Ron Dennis. So much for our dreams of being an F1 driver, it's a bit too late to start now. [via GridCrasher] More »
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Look closely at about the 0:17 mark in this video. Those are headlights. On an F1 car. Of course, it's all just a joke — apparently the boys at the McLaren Mercedes F1 team have a sense of humor after all. Granted, we're still waiting to see just how well the lighting system at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix will work, but we're pretty sure none of the teams will resort to bolting on an array of high beams. More »
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Last year's winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix has been immortalized in bronze at the track's "Park of Fame." Well, at least that's what they were shooting for with this plaque, but to our knowledge, Louis Hamilton was not the winner of the 2007 race. More »
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The age-old battle of car versus airplane has been renewed by Lewis Hamilton, racing his McLaren Mercedes F1 car against a Learjet. Sadly, it's not quite as exciting as Top Gear's Bugatti Veyron versus EuroFighter contest, but then this was just some publicity stunt put on because Hamilton is a "brand ambassador" for Bombardier Learjet. Whatevs; we'll take all the car vs. jet battles we can get. More »
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There was a scary moment at yesterday's Spanish Grand Prix that may not have been as scary as Stephane Ortelli's car flying through the air with the greatest of ease, but was scary nonetheless. The fear factor began when some part of the front left tire wheel on Heikki Kovalainen' McLaren Mercedes exploded, sending the car straight into a wall. Race stewards at Barcelona worked for about 10 minutes to safely free the Finnish driver from the wreckage who was taken to the track's medical center wearing a neck brace. But all signs point to a full recovery as he gave a reassuring thumbs-up sign to spectators. Mike Utley did that too, right? Kovalainen is said to be in stable condition, which is more than can be said for the shredded McLaren MP4-23. [AP, Axis of Oversteer] More »
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Lots of people in F1 are already talking about Kimi Raikkonen's new spot on Scuderia Ferrari as if it's a done deal. Not so, says Raikkonen, who's currently flogging for McLaren-Mercedes, but has been symbolically relegated to the #2 spot since the signing of 2005 champion Fernando Alonzo. Reports from Germany this week, however, indicate the Finn has signed a five-year (gulp) $150 million contract with Ferrari, where he would partner with Michael Schumacher. Greener paddocks, indeed. [Thanks to Peter for the tip.] More »
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