Special Report: Formula One: McLaren's Barrier-Breaking, Winning Bet

Born of a white mother and a black father, who are both British, Hamilton became the first mixed-race world champion, opening a door for perceptions to change in auto racing, a sport in which there had never before been a black or mixed-race star of such stature.

But one of the bigger and more original aspects of Hamilton’s story is the major investment in his career made by the McLaren team since he was a boy of 13. At 10, he had approached Ron Dennis, the McLaren team owner, when they were both at a racing awards ceremony.

“Hi, I’m Lewis Hamilton,” he told Dennis. Then, referring to a karting series, he added, “I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars.”

Three years later, while Hamilton was still in his go-karting career, Dennis signed him to his team’s driver development program. His career was henceforth tied to the McLaren team and its financial backing. It seemed to many at the time to be a risky, extravagant joke. But year after year, Hamilton proved that it was foresight and good business strategy as he met with rapid success in every series in which he competed, from karting to Formula One.

He won several karting titles before joining Formula Renault in 2002, which he won the following year with 10 victories and 11 pole positions. He repeated that pattern in the F3 Euroseries, winning in 2005, with 15 victories and 13 pole positions. In 2006, he won the title in his rookie year in the GP2 series, a Formula One support series.

He joined Formula One in 2007, at the McLaren team, where he had the apparent disadvantage of being teammate to Fernando Alonso, the equally precocious Spaniard. Alonso had been breaking records for youth accomplishments in the series, and was the reigning world champion, having won the drivers’ title in 2005 and 2006 at the Renault team.

But Hamilton immediately showed that he was equal to the task, and his advantage came in being on a team that had been family to him since childhood.

Hamilton and Alonso finished the season with 109 points each, both losing the title to the Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen by a single point, in the season’s last race. But Hamilton had the edge on Alonso in terms of top finishes and so was classified ahead of the Spaniard in the series that year.

In Valencia two weeks ago, Hamilton said losing the title in the last race was his worst memory of that first season in Formula One.

“I had only just got to Formula One, but just having it and then losing it,” he said, referring to the title, “was very, very tough. I think the best moment was winning my first Grand Prix that year; firstly getting into Formula One and then having the great opportunity and privilege of working alongside Fernando and Pedro [de la Rosa, the test driver], and working for such a great team, and winning my first race in Montreal.”

Alonso left the McLaren team in anger after that season, returning to Renault before then joining Ferrari in 2010.

In 2008, Hamilton, meanwhile, no longer committed his beginner’s errors — even though there had not been many — and he won the title — by a single point ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

At 23, Hamilton also snatched away Alonso’s crown of youngest world champion. And again, he had used only one year of learning before becoming champion.

His career since 2008 has gone from one extreme to another. Even at its lowest ebb last year, he still won three races, but finished only fifth in the championship, behind his teammate, Jenson Button, for the first time.

But he made driving errors several times during the season, being penalized or crashing out of several races. Much of it appeared to be related to him dealing with changes in his life as he finally had the time to grow up: There were rumors of problems with his celebrity girlfriend — Nicole Scherzinger — and with him dropping his father, Anthony, as his manager.

He appeared to push beyond the limit as he now had a new world champion teammate in Button, who was finally coming to grips with his McLaren environment and, worse, a new wunderkind competitor in Sebastian Vettel, who broke the major records for youth previously set by Alonso and Hamilton, winning back-to-back drivers’ titles in 2010 and 2011.

But this season, finally, the old Hamilton has returned. He scored two pole positions and then won the Canadian Grand Prix last month — in a season where only Alonso has won two races — and he has made practically no errors.

He lies third in the series, behind Alonso and the Red Bull driver Mark Webber, and if he continues the way he has begun, he has a good chance of winning the title this year.

Judging by his return to a controlled aggressive driving style since the beginning of the season — along with a talent for taking care of his car’s tires and choosing a successful strategy — he is likely, in any case, to remain one of the main challengers.

“I still want to win every race,” Hamilton said. “It’s just you have to be perhaps a little more strategic with your approach this year. I don’t think there is too much of a different approach, but you have to be a little bit more sensible this year.”

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