The only way is up

When Lewis Hamilton signed to drive for McLaren in 2007 no one knew what to expect, but from the first corner of the first race it was clear that the young Briton was special. Maurice Hamilton charts his amazing rise

The first corner of the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne is a trap for the unwary. After four months without competition, drivers are keen to go racing at the Australian Grand Prix and show their teams and sponsors they are worth the hype that has gathered pace with the approach of a new season. Barely a year goes by without the first race lasting no more than 500 metres for at least one driver after a collision in the scramble through Melbourne's first turn.

This year Lewis Hamilton, having qualified a very impressive fourth for his first grand prix, would have been warned of the perils of the 90-degree corner and the danger of launching his Formula One career, not to mention his car, in a spectacular if unproductive manner. Yet, rather than apply understandable caution, Hamilton was about to lay down a marker that would define the rest of his season.

Finding himself trapped on the inside by Robert Kubica as they approached the corner, Hamilton backed off momentarily, darted behind the BMW and took the Polish driver on the outside. In the process, Hamilton also passed the McLaren of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, to snatch second place. It was the intuitive and daring move of a driver who wants to win; an obvious statement, perhaps, but one that has helped Hamilton stand out in a field of drivers, many of whom have become conditioned to the processional nature of F1 and the use of pit-stop tactics as the only means of overtaking.

It would be a more favourable refuelling strategy that would eventually allow Alonso to move ahead of Hamilton in Australia, an acceptable fact, given Alonso's status as twice world champion. Hamilton nevertheless finished his first race on the podium, a performance that would become the norm as the 17-race season got into its stride.

If Hamilton's first-corner move in Melbourne had prompted the view that the Englishman was lucky as well as courageous, he was to leave no doubt about his controlled audacity at the next race in Malaysia. Starting from fourth again, Hamilton dived down the inside of Kimi Raikkonen (the winner in Melbourne) at the first corner and then ran round the outside of Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari. Massa fought back, Hamilton suckering him into a simple mistake that took the Brazilian off the road. With Alonso leading comfortably, Hamilton completed the final 15 laps fending off Raikkonen. Not only did Hamilton finish second, he had ticked another two boxes by proving his fitness in one of the most physically demanding races of the season and resisting pressure from one of his most relentless rivals.

If the motor racing world was becoming increasingly impressed and surprised, Hamilton behaved as if this was completely normal for a novice. His willingness to overtake given half a chance is the product of having raced karts since the age of eight. The cut-and-thrust tactics required to succeed in these buzzy little machines had given Hamilton a spacial awareness and complete comfort with an ability to brake later than anyone else.

The latter is an attribute moulded with the help of Anthony Hamilton. Lewis's father would stand on the approach to corners, note where the fastest kart drivers were braking and then move a couple of steps towards the corner. By using his father as the braking point, Hamilton developed a delicate sense of feel that would allow him to press the pedal hard, but without locking his brakes and slithering straight on. In future seasons, as Hamilton won championships in F3 and GP2, his team bosses would comment that they had rarely seen a driver with such a willingness to overtake based on the knowledge that he could mount a seemingly impossible move under braking. It was part of the process that saw Anthony Hamilton oversee every aspect of his son's career, from finding finance, arranging deals and working as a mechanic on the karts. Now Hamilton senior can stand back and watch as the product of his labours is handled by a leading F1 team.

Hamilton's judgment and, to a lesser extent, good luck in finding himself racing a McLaren-Mercedes has led to accusations that success has come simply because he is sitting in one of the best cars. That argument might have merit were it not for the fact that Hamilton has done serious damage to the reputation of his team-mate, a driver who was expected to become the dominant force following Michael Schumacher's retirement at the end of last year. Given Alonso's performances in the past two seasons, it was not an unreasonable assumption, one that the Spaniard clearly thought would be fulfilled while Hamilton, for all his promise, was finding his feet in such an intensely competitive arena. Alonso was as surprised as anyone when Hamilton walked into F1 as if to the manner born.

'That's been one of the most extraordinary things about Lewis,' says Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion. 'He's come into F1 and dealt with everything that has been thrown at him with no problem at all. He seems to be completely at home. It's as if F1 is simply the next stage in his career, a logical progression - but he's acting like there's another stage beyond F1. I've never seen anything like it.'

Nor have the British media. Hamilton has handled the massive surge in interest with the same easy and intelligent manner that he uses while dealing with adversaries on the track. But, for all his boyish, gap-toothed charm, there is a steel core within, as demonstrated immediately after finishing second at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Most rookie drivers would have been satisfied with a place on the podium at the end of the season's most prestigious race, but Hamilton was not afraid to make it clear that the team had prevented him from winning and keeping intact his enviable record of Monaco victories in F3 (twice) and GP2. This may have been only the fifth race of the season but here was the first sign that Hamilton was not overawed by the company of Alonso (who won the race) or the Spaniard's belief that he should be the favoured McLaren driver. In Hamilton's view, the pit-stop strategy worked in Alonso's favour even though Hamilton believed he was the faster of the two. McLaren now knew that the youngster had every intention of holding the team to their admirable principle of parity for both drivers. He had finished on the podium at every race and it was only a matter of time before Hamilton scored his first victory.

It came two weeks later in Canada, where Hamilton qualified on pole position for the first time. He then led all the way, but this was by no means an easy victory. Hamilton had to deal with the pressure of seeing his hard-earned lead eroded no fewer than four times when the safety car appeared. Alonso, having lost pole position with a mistake during qualifying, made a few more errors as he finished down in seventh place.

Seven days later, Hamilton had pole again at Indianapolis, but this time Alonso pushed him all the way. Hamilton dealt easily with his strongest challenge yet after being delayed slightly by a backmarker. Alonso drew alongside as they reached 200 mph along the main straight but Hamilton's superior braking for the first corner allowed him to keep the lead and prompted a deeply frustrated Alonso to shake his fist at the McLaren pit at the end of the next lap. As Hamilton took his second victory it seemed reasonable to entertain the previously unimaginable thought that he might win the championship, but not without a fight from his team-mate.

The flaky relationship between the two broke down completely in Hungary when Hamilton failed to adhere to an agreement during qualifying and Alonso retaliated by delaying his team-mate in the pit lane. At the same time, McLaren had been plunged into turmoil by accusations of spying thanks to sensitive Ferrari documents being found in the home of McLaren's chief designer. While the entire team appeared to be in meltdown, Hamilton did the right thing by simply concentrating on driving the car and taking his third win, in Hungary.

Hamilton's ability to remain focused received another test when Alonso, instead of attempting to destabilise his rival with clever sound bites delivered to the Spanish media, turned his sole attention to driving and out performed Hamilton in Italy and Belgium. Realising that he needed to work on details of the set-up of his car, Hamilton spent a few days at the McLaren factory, working closely with his engineers and gaining further trust and affection from his team.

'I think my team respects the fact I'm normal,' says Hamilton. 'I don't see myself as a Formula One driver who's way above everyone else, I'm just another part of the team, like one of the mechanics. The guy doing my right-rear wheel is just as important to the package as I am. If I don't have him, then I can't get around on three wheels. If I'm not there, the car can't challenge for the championship on its own.

'I don't walk in thinking, "I'm a Formula One driver, don't speak to me, I'm way above you" and I think they really appreciate that. Generally I think my relationship with the team just grows. The guys want to invite me to go karting and stuff and at some point we'll probably do that. They feel close enough to be able to do that. That's because we've been able to build up a good relationship.'

Hamilton says he never felt more in control than when he arrived for last Sunday's race in Japan, a fact he backed up with an imperious drive in atrocious conditions. Of the two McLaren contenders, it was Alonso who cracked, damaging his car and his championship chances. Whereas Hamilton genuinely appears to be enjoying every moment of his first season in F1, Alonso now says that he cannot wait for the Monday after the final race, in Brazil in two weeks' time.

'This year has gone so quickly,' says Hamilton. 'I feel very relaxed about things because that's just the sort of person I am, whether or not I know anything is going on. I've not had the internet this weekend, so I've not had a look to see what's been happening. It's probably better if I don't because anything can plant a thought at the back of your mind without you realising it.

'I try to enjoy my life, which I am doing. I enjoy the travelling. I'm just not complaining. If you start to reflect on the negatives in this business, it can affect the way that you think. When I think about getting in that car, there is nothing that gives me a better feeling. So long as I can do this job with the team I want to be with, being competitive and vying for championships, then that's all I need.'

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