Is Lewis Hamilton the world's greatest sporting champion? As part of our series on modern role models to mark Black History Month, we look at motor-racing's extraordinary career.
The karate kid racing into the history books
Glossary
Formula 1 - The highest class of motor-racing. The cars can go as fast as 230mph.
Podium - A small platform on which a person stands to be seen by an audience, as when making a speech, receiving a prize, or conducting an orchestra.
Pole positions - Drivers who record the highest speed in practice get to start the race from a position on the track ahead of everyone else.
Tally - Total amount. In medieval times a stick marked with notches to record a financial transaction was called "a tally stick".
Stevenage - A town in Hertfordshire, 30 miles north of London. The England footballer Ashley Young also grew up there, and played in the same school team as Lewis Hamilton.
Grand Prix - A French term meaning "Great Prize". It was originally applied to a horse race, the Grand Prix de Paris. There are around 20 Formula 1 races per season, each called the Grand Prix of the country or region it is held in.
Safety cars - When there is an accident that obstructs the track, an ordinary car leads the way around it until the debris is cleared. Drivers have to remain in the same positions, and overtaking the safety car is forbidden.