It's hard to believe now that Hamilton was painted by some as an unfulfilled talent when he left McLaren at the end of 2012 with a single world title (2008) and 21 race wins. To dump a team of McLaren's pedigree for Mercedes seemed questionable at the time; since, McLaren hasn't won a single race, while Hamilton's victory tally at Mercedes alone dwarfs every other driver's entire career with the exception of Michael Schumacher, whose records once seemed unattainable.

By the time Hamilton is done, he'll likely have more wins, poles and titles than any driver in history; combine that with his impact off the track and the barriers he's broken down and he'll remain an F1® giant for evermore.