News Summary
- Lewis Hamilton is set to make his 400th Formula 1 start at the São Paulo Grand Prix on November 8.
- Fernando Alonso is the only driver to have previously reached the milestone.
- Interlagos hosted Hamilton’s first championship triumph in 2008 and his victories in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
Lewis Hamilton is set to become only the second driver to make 400 Formula 1 starts when he races in the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, November 8. The Ferrari driver reaches the milestone at Interlagos, the circuit where he secured his first world championship 18 years ago.
Hamilton arrives with 399 Grand Prix starts, following his second-place finish in Mexico City. Fernando Alonso is the only driver already beyond 400, adding another landmark to a career that began with a podium for McLaren at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
What counts towards Hamilton’s 400 F1 starts?
The total covers world championship Grands Prix. Sprint races do not count as additional Grand Prix starts, and appearing in practice or qualifying is not itself a race start.
Hamilton missed the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19, with George Russell replacing him at Mercedes. That absence interrupts any claim that he has raced at every round since his debut.
After six seasons with McLaren, Hamilton moved to Mercedes in 2013 and won six of his seven world titles with the team. His switch to Ferrari in 2025 opened the third team chapter of his F1 career.
He heads into the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend after taking pole in Mexico and finishing just 0.799s behind Max Verstappen. The result was followed by Hamilton’s call for Ferrari to learn from the battle between its drivers, after an opening-lap confrontation with Charles Leclerc disrupted the team’s challenge.
Interlagos delivered Hamilton’s first world title
In 2008, Hamilton arrived at the Brazilian season finale defending a championship advantage over Felipe Massa. The Ferrari driver won the race, leaving Hamilton needing fifth place to secure the title.
Rain in the closing laps complicated that task. Hamilton passed Timo Glock’s Toyota late on the final lap, took the required position and finished the season 1 point ahead of Massa.
That championship came in his second F1 season, a year after he had lost the 2007 title to Kimi Räikkönen at the same venue. It would be another eight years before Hamilton won a Grand Prix at Interlagos.
Three victories with different stories
Hamilton’s first Brazilian victory came in 2016, when he led every lap of a rain-disrupted race ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. The result kept the championship open until the Abu Dhabi finale, although Rosberg ultimately won the title.
He won again in 2018, finishing ahead of Verstappen after the Red Bull driver lost the lead following contact with Esteban Ocon’s lapped Force India.
The 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix produced a different recovery. Excluded from Friday’s qualifying results, Hamilton climbed from the back to fifth in the sprint. A separate engine penalty then left him tenth on Sunday’s grid, from where he fought through to beat Verstappen.
The distinction matters: his Sunday victory was from tenth, while the back-of-the-grid recovery belonged to Saturday’s sprint. The circuit’s overtaking opportunities, particularly around the Senna S and the run towards Turn 4, remain central to the racing challenge at Interlagos.
Hamilton’s connection with Brazil extends beyond racing
Hamilton received honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022, reflecting a relationship shaped by his admiration for Ayrton Senna and the support he receives at Interlagos.
In 2024, he drove Senna’s McLaren MP4/5B at the circuit, carrying a Brazilian flag during an emotional demonstration. This year’s race is scheduled for 14:00 local time on Sunday, with Hamilton’s milestone dependent on him taking the start.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
