Hamilton's championship-winning car is being put back together

Lewis Hamilton's first-ever Formula Racing Series car is coming back to life! It was driven by the seven-time World Champion in 2003 when he won the British Formula Renault championship, and it has now been fully restored after two years after it was discovered in pieces in a storeroom.

The car that is now fully rebuilt will be on display outside at the Stevenage Museum, the birthplace of Hamilton, as reported by the BBC. Thanks to Alex Thornton, the collector who bought the car, and restoration expert Nick Edginton, parts were sourced from across the world, and now the car drives just as it did when Hamilton was on track in 2003

Hamilton's championship-winning car "running well"

Mr Thornton said the car was "running well" after it was tested around the Donnington Park racetrack. The National College for Motorsport in Towcester also got to see Hamilton's first-ever championship-winning car, allowing students to see and understand the restoration process.

"I spotted it in the back of a storeroom - it was all in bits, completely in pieces," said Mr Thornton. "I think it was under the stairs for about two decades; they meant to get round to restoring it themselves." He also said finding the car itself was a "lucky coincidence."

"It's a really important piece of history, we're so lucky to find it," continued Mr Thornton, whose dream is to have the 2003 car on display in Stevenage for the long term. However, because it cannot fit through the museum door, they have been unable to achieve it just yet.