You could reasonably suggest that Lewis Hamilton is the fastest driver in Formula One right now. The speed and aggression that he takes into a Grand Prix car is nothing short of remarkable, and it is a testament to Hamilton’s skill that he has been able to achieve so much in such a short space of time.

Hamilton is currently one of the most dominant figures in Formula One and he will now have the number on his car to prove it. There is no doubting that Lewis is a very deserving winner of the 2008 World Championship.

Perhaps the defining moment of Hamilton’s season came at the British Grand Prix. Up until that point McLaren had been unable to match the raw speed of Ferrari and Lewis hadn’t been particularly impressive himself. In the first half of 2008 Hamilton made more mistakes than he did during his entire rookie season, and the pressure was showing in his poor reactions to the press after the Canadian and French Grands Prix. A sloppy race in front of his home crowd would have been an absolute disaster.

Instead of letting the pressure get to him, Lewis bounced back in commanding fashion with a crushing victory. He fought hard in the early stages before sprinting off into a massive lead. Although Hamilton had already taken wins at Australia and Monaco, he had yet to produce anything as sublime as his drive through the spray at Silverstone.

The race marked Hamilton’s return to form. The mistakes disappeared and another victory in Germany propelled him into championship favouritism. It was the turning point of his year.

Hamilton’s season was far from perfect but the hurdles gave Lewis more sense of character. Everyone makes mistakes, and the fact that Hamilton showed his human side made it easier for many fans to relate to him. After all, he is just a young lad with a supreme talent. He isn’t a robot.

It will be interesting to see what effect championship success will have on Hamilton’s popularity and his life outside of racing. Part of the appeal to Lewis has been his meteoric rise through the ranks of world motorsport, but now that rise has reached its logical conclusion that appeal may no longer exist. The journey is often more exciting than the destination and that may be the case for many casual Lewis Hamilton supporters. Ferrari lost much of their sentimental following after they broke their 20-year drought of championships in the Schumacher era, and Lewis may be in for a similar experience.

Then again, Hamilton has also attracted many new fans to the sport and that can only be a good thing. Britain has a new champion to celebrate in Lewis and his profile is going to start growing beyond the world of F1 and sport. He has a unique opportunity to become an ambassador for his country, and for a younger generation.

Regardless of life away from the circuit, there is no doubting that Hamilton is a phenomenal driver who has injected plenty of excitement into Grand Prix racing. Formula One is the most popular version of motorsport in the world because it contains the very best drivers and cars in the world. It is the pinnacle of racing thanks to the talents of people like Lewis Hamilton.

The 2008 season will be remembered as one of the most exciting in F1 history. Very few of the races were predictable and the title went right down to the final 20 seconds. The eventual champion was always going to have a thrilling story to tell, and there is no one better to narrate that story than the man himself.

This is 2008 as told by Lewis Hamilton.

Australia

“I feel fantastic. What a dream start to the season.”

Malaysia

“I did the best job I could.”

Bahrain

“I am really disappointed and feel like I let the team down today as I always am the first to blame myself.

I have had such a good run in Formula 1 until now, and it was almost inevitable that at some point things would go wrong. However there is a long way to go in the Championship and I intend to win it.”

Spain

“We did a good job today, but there are areas where we definitely need to improve, but it’s comforting to know that we are relatively close to Ferrari.”

Turkey

“I think this is the best race ever for me. It’s not about winning, it’s about feeling that you extract 100% from yourself and the car and I did that today.”

Monaco

“To win here in Monaco is the highlight of my career and an occasion I will always remember.”

Canada

“You can’t even call it a racing incident really, can you? I mean, what is it?”

France

“I kept pushing. There’s nothing you can do that can distract me. You can keep on giving me penalties and whatever you want to do and I’ll keep battling and try and come back with a result. I feel cool. It’s all good. Racing is racing. I’m still here, there’s nothing you can do to get me out of it.”

Britain

“This was the toughest race, but also one of the best ones I have ever driven.

As everybody knows I had some troubles over the past few weeks and they (my family) have been always there for me and supported me.”

Germany

“I nailed it this afternoon. When the team told me I had to build a 23 second gap in just seven laps I knew I had to drive over the limit, and I did.”

Hungary

“The race could have been better for me.”

Europe

“I can’t complain with second place today. This was a strong weekend for us despite my having a few problems health-wise, but we pulled through.”

Belgium

“I would be surprised if there was a penalty. This is motor racing and if there is a penalty something is wrong. It was fair and square, it would be absolutely wrong if that happens, but we know what they’re like.”

Italy

“Today was all about damage control. I came away with some points and kept my lead in the world drivers’ championship.”

Singapore

“To have a podium finish in the first Singapore night race is a great result and good points, so I really can’t complain.”

Japan

“A lot of cars went wide at turn one, and I just went a bit wider than everyone else.”

China

“All weekend we have had God on our side as always.”

Before Brazil

“In terms of preparation, I have to look at things realistically and appreciate that I have another weekend of maximum effort ahead of me with the team. You can still take absolutely nothing for granted.”

Immediately after Brazil

“I don’t know what happened. My tyres were shot. There was nothing I could do. I was trying to keep the car on the track. My heart was in my mouth. Then I heard it was the last lap I was pushing to get close to Sebastian. Vettel was the guy to beat and I could not catch him. I don’t know what would have happened if I had lost it on the very last lap. Then the team told me that I had to get past Glock. I did not know where he was. I was told that he was just ahead but I did not know how far. I was praying that I could catch him. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him at the exit of turn ten.

I knew I had to pass him in the final few corners. He was tiptoeing and I managed to pass him in the last corner. I can only thank God. My heart was about to explode. I don’t know how I kept my cool. I was very fortunate. I am going to celebrate with my family. I am speechless. I am struggling to say anything. It was one of the toughest races of my life. I kept saying ‘Do I have it? Do I have it?’ to the team and they told me as I went into turn one. I was ecstatic. It was very emotional. I have cried. My heart is under so much strain right now.”

Returning Home

“I can have number one on my car, and that is the coolest thing ever.”

Lewis Hamilton – 2008 Formula One World Champion

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