The exclusive F1 club Lewis Hamilton will join at the French GP

This weekend’s French Grand Prix will mark the 300th grand prix that Hamilton has entered during his 16-season career that began back in 2007. 

Hamilton would have already hit the 300 club at the previous round in Austria had he not been ruled out of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19.

Since making his F1 debut in 2007, the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix is the only race Hamilton has ever missed. 

Hamilton already holds a staggering amount of F1 records including most wins, podiums and pole positions, as well as the joint record for most world championships (seven), which he shares with Michael Schumacher. 

The 37-year-old currently sits sixth in the list of most grand prix entries with 299, meaning he will reach 300 at Paul Ricard, where he has won two of the three races since the revival of the French Grand Prix in 2018. 

It would put Hamilton eight entries behind Schumacher and nine behind former McLaren teammate Jenson Button. 

Assuming Hamilton does not miss any of the remaining races this season, he will end 2022 fourth in the charts, surpassing both Schumacher and Button. 

Third place is held by Rubens Barrichello on 326 entries. The popular Brazilian, who won 11 grand prix, is the only driver on the list not to have won a world championship. 

Fernando Alonso is in second place on 347, six entries behind Kimi Raikkonen, who currently holds the title as the most experienced driver in F1’s history. 

However, Alonso is on course to surpass Raikkonen’s all-time benchmark of 353 grand prix entries this season after the 2007 world champion retired at the end of 2021. 

Sebastian Vettel is set to become the seventh F1 driver to hit 300 races, and could join the exclusive club this season if he enters all the remaining rounds. 

The four-time world champion, who missed the opening two races of the campaign with COVID-19, is on target to make his 300th grand prix entry at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale.