Lewis Hamilton Makes History by Winning the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix

Formula One’s front offices must be breathing a sigh of relief. Viewers were turned off by the dominance of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, the controversial 2005 American Grand Prix, and ironically the departure of Schumacher two seasons ago. Formula One needed stars to keep the audience glued to the telecasts, and to justify the millions of dollars spent by advertisers each year.

Enter Lewis Hamilton. This 22-year-old came out of nowhere, making an impact in such a short amount of time:

In his debut year Hamilton has set three Formula One records in quick succession. With his first start at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, he became the first black driver to compete in Formula One. At the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix, he became the first F1 driver to finish in the top three in his first three races. After he finished second at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, he became the youngest driver ever to lead the drivers’ championship. Hamilton gained his first victory at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix on June 10, 2007 and became the first black person to win a Formula One race.

With such a rising young star, not to mention the establishment of previous youngsters like Kimi Raikonnen, perhaps Formula One will recover from its loss and beat back the challenges of competitors like the A1 Grand Prix.