Lewis Hamilton: Rise of the Next F1 World Champion

When Lewis Hamilton entered the McLaren team at the start of the 2007 F1 season, he was an unfamiliar name to most in the world of motorsport. His relative fame came from his previous season in GP2, but anyone who had been following his career knew that he was something special.

The media picked up on his previous success and he was quickly dubbed as the next British World Champion. They focused on what type of driver he was and what drove him to win. He was what the British fans, and maybe those all around the world, had been waiting for: a true racing driver.

Many F1 drivers have the ability to drive at 200 mph+ with great precision, but only certain drivers, such as Senna and Schumacher, have been real racing drivers with talent like no other.

Lewis had received sponsorship from McLaren earlier in his karting career and Ron Dennis knew that he was a raw talent. Dennis had mentored the young driver through the years, and some say this helped make him a better driver.

Most aspiring drivers get no help from big race teams and have to make it alone through the race formulae to get noticed by the big boys in F1. Lewis was in a unique position allowing him to talk with McLaren about a drive in F1.

Many thought McLaren would sign Lewis as a test driver for a year, but Ron Dennis chose Lewis to take the No. 2 seat next to two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

The press and public believed that Alonso would prove a good mentor for Lewis, once in the seat. Lewis started the season hoping he could win one race, and the team probably hoped to give Alonso his third world championship.

The world of F1 was very surprised indeed when at the Australian Grand Prix Lewis qualified fourth and finished third. A podium on his debut was a real result!

The results kept coming and Lewis had his first GP win five races later in Canada. Other than a retirement in China, his worst result all season was ninth. In total he amassed 12 podiums, four wins, and six pole positions in his first season.

His success that season was tarred by the spygate scandal in which McLaren had been leaked key technical information from Ferrari. McLaren were stripped of all their constructors points for the season and it's my opinion that the drivers would probably have been penalised too if there hadn't been such an exciting title race ensuing.

Lewis ended the season second, losing by one point to Kimi Räikkönen and finishing ahead of his teammate. Some said that it was a fluke and that Lewis just wasn't good enough to win. As a rookie he needed more maturity to be able to win it. Some say that it was the car, especially as they had some Ferrari secrets.

I say that Lewis just pushed too hard at times, taking risks at the wrong moments. He had a lot to prove and nothing to lose.

The 2008 season is underway—in fact, we're over halfway through. This time Lewis' teammate is Heikki Kovalainen. Lewis is back on form and looks unstoppable at times. He won the first race in Australia and has since won three additional races.

He's had a couple of penalties and made a few mistakes but in the last two races, the British and German Grands Prix, we've seen the side to Lewis that was just waiting to get out.

His performance in the rain at Silverstone was unmatched. He finished the race 68.5 seconds ahead of second place. The only mistake he made all race was a slight off on the grass, while more seasoned drivers like Felipe Massa spun five times in total in the wet.

Hamilton's wet race ability seems to be quite special. All his wet races seem to have been good, including his commanding drive in the wet last season in Japan.

Now we come back to analyse his recent race in Germany.

Last weekend's grand prix at Hockenheim was outstanding. At first he just took off from the rest of the pack including Massa's Ferrari in second place.

He was building up such a lead that it was like he was qualifying all over again. His first pit stop went well, as did those of his rivals, but there was a problem when the safety car came out as a result of Timo Glock's pit wall crash.

The lead Lewis built up had suddenly gone but when the pit lane opened under the safety car, Lewis did not pit where as nearly all the other cars did. He had a car at the front of the pack that need to pit several laps later. After the safety car went in Lewis stormed off in the distance, but the time he gained wasn't enough to get back out in first place.

He had three cars in front on him, one of which was his teammate. Lewis' speed was still noticeable and his lap times were much faster than the rest of the field. One by one he picked of each car in front of him like the other cars were on an in-lap. It was another great win!

Lewis Hamilton is only leading Massa in the championship race by four points, but he is becoming a more confident and consistent driver. His immaturity is diminishing and his ability on the track is second to none.

Of all the drivers currently in the championship he is the most naturally talented—a joy to watch. Provided his car remains reliable, he is the most likely driver to win the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.