Lewis Hamilton is a Formula One racer.
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton , MBE ( born 7 January 1985 ) is a British Formula One racing driver from England , currently racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team . A three-time Formula One World Champion , he is regarded by fellow and former drivers as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport . Hamilton 's contract for the McLaren driver development program made him the youngest ever driver to secure a contract which later resulted in a Formula One drive . In his first season in Formula One , Hamilton set numerous records while finishing second in the 2007 Formula One Championship , just one point behind Kimi Räikkönen .