When Hamilton Drove for Manor

Lewis Hamilton has endured another season of Formula One under the spotlight as Mercedes claimed another clean-sweep of Constructor and Driver titles.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - NOVEMBER 27: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo leads Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 27, 2016 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) — ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 27: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo leads Nico Rosberg of Germany driving the (6) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 27, 2016 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Mercedes are yet to announce the identity of Hamilton’s teammate for next season. One thing that is almost certain is that the Mercedes drivers will both be key protagonists when the Australian Grand Prix arrives in March. The British driver has already hit the reset button, his focus already on next year.

“I’m just looking forwards, so dwelling and thinking about past experiences is not something I need to do. Now I’ve just got to focus on next season. The focus now is on next year.”
– Lewis Hamilton

HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY - JULY 31: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) — HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY – JULY 31: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO7 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid turbo on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheimring on July 31, 2016 in Hockenheim, Germany. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Dwelling on the immediate past probably wouldn’t be productive given the big shake-up expected ahead. But in an interview before the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton reminisced on the journey that got him to Formula One in the first place.

“We are all faced with adversity at some stage in our life and it’s how you deal with it that counts. I think for people who have just started tuning into Formula One or have just started following me, they probably have no idea about the grassroots of the sport that I came up through, they probably just think I drive for a top team, have a great car and they won’t know the foundation on which I perform.
But really what I do today is almost minuscule compared to the journey that I took to get here. That was Mount Everest and now I’m at the top and dancing around.”
– Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton drives for Manor Motorsport in F3 - 2002/2003 — Lewis Hamilton drives for Manor Motorsport in F3 – 2002/2003

After a successful career in karting, Hamilton’s first four years of car racing started with Manor Motorsport, who had teams in the Formula Renault and Formula 3 series. Hamilton and Manor dominated Formula Renault 2.0 in 2003 with 11 poles and 10 wins over 15 races.

Hamilton has since become a supernova in the Formula One world and beyond, but the commonality that all drivers share is a culmination of mass effort from teams and an environment with an undying need to compete.

The Manor name still survives in Formula One, but the Manor Motorsport that allowed Hamilton to climb the ladder were removed with the takeover that occurred at the team in 2015.

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