A Times Online story by Kevin
Eason http://www.timesonline.co.uk
HE HAS already been dubbed the Tiger Woods of motor racing and Lewis Hamilton could soon be catapulted into Formula One to become its most prized young star.
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| Hamilton set to make his F1 debut next year |
If Jenson Button warranted a flood of publicity when he lined up on the grid, Hamilton will provoke a tidal wave as the first Afro-Caribbean to join what has been an all-white sport up until now.
From the small village of Tewin, in Hertfordshire, Hamilton, like Woods, is a dream ticket for sponsors: young, gifted, handsome — and black. And soon to be in Formula One after a spectacular victory in the biggest showcase in motor racing — the prestigious Monaco round of the GP2 series that feeds Formula One.
His
emphatic victory, which gave him a ten-point lead in the championship,
was another important sign that this is a youngster ready to step up to
the big time.
Teams are queuing up to negotiate with the 21-year-old
but the final call on his future will be made by Ron Dennis, the team
principal at McLaren Mercedes, who has supported Hamilton’s career
since he was a promising youngster driving go-karts. “Lewis’s first step is to succeed in GP2 and then we will
guide him to the next and highest level,” Dennis said after Hamilton’s
victory. “Will he be in Formula One next year? I believe he will be.
With which team? I don’t know yet.”
Three wins in five events have made a compelling case for
Hamilton’s immediate promotion, and it could be to one of the best
seats on the grid if Dennis cannot find an adequate replacement for the
departing Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya. Indeed, many now
believe Hamilton could turn out to be a perfect fit to partner Fernando
Alonso, the champion who will join McLaren next season.
It seems that Hamilton is destined to join McLaren. When he
was just 9 years old, Hamilton spotted Dennis across a crowded room at
an awards ceremony. He simply walked up to the principal of the team
then dominating Formula One and told him that he wanted to drive for
McLaren and asked for an autograph. Dennis wrote in his autograph book:
“Try me in nine years”.
At the time, Hamilton’s father, Anthony, was doing three jobs
to finance his son’s career. But it took only three years for Dennis to
realise that Hamilton was special and McLaren last season bankrolled
his campaign in European Formula Three, in which he won 15 of 20 races.
“We have had interest from a number of teams but Lewis
desperately wants to drive for McLaren,” Hamilton’s father said. “He
would not be fazed and would not let the team down. We just can’t wait
for the chance.”
