A report from Caribbean News Now.

He is one of the UK’s wealthiest persons having just made their ‘rich list’ and his roots definitely stretch to the Caribbean.

In fact, he is deemed the wealthiest sportsperson in all of the UK. That honor and prestige goes to Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE, the Grenadian roots Mercedes Formula One driver. According to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, Hamilton, 32, who is bidding to win his fourth World Championship this year, has a £131million fortune.

He has also seen his wealth increase by £25million in the last 12 months. Hamilton is the first black driver to race in Formula One.

His father, anthony Hamilton, who was born in Grand Coy in Grenada, bought him a radio-controlled car in 1991, which gave him his first taste of racing competition. Hamilton began karting in 1993 at the age of eight at the Rye House Kart Circuit and quickly began winning races and Cadet class championships.

At the age of ten he approached McLaren F1 team boss Ron Dennis for an autograph, and told him, “Hi. I’m Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars.”

Dennis wrote in his autograph book, “Phone me in nine years, we’ll sort something out then.” In 1998, after Hamilton won an additional Super One series and his second British championship, Dennis delivered on his promise and signed Hamilton to the McLaren driver development program, which included an option of a future F1 seat.

The rest as they say is history and a glorious rich one at that!