No driver has ever made such an instant impact on the sport of F1 racing
as Lewis Hamilton. The first black grand prix driver, his astonishing
level of success in his rookie season together with his swash-buckling,
attacking style has created a sensation. It has also been a central
factor in the most exciting and controversial season of F1 in living
memory as Hamilton was involved in a three-way fight for the world
crown. Industrial espionage, claims of team favouritism and some
stunning on-track action have peppered Hamilton's first season in the
sport's top category.
Here is the in-depth story of this phenomenon - from his upbringing on a
Stevenage council estate to the day he first sat in a kart as a
seven-year-old to his sensational challenge on the world title. Friends,
colleagues, team-mates, rivals, chaperones and engineers who have worked
with him here give some remarkable insights into Lewis the man and the
driver, as well as into the close but complex relationship with father
Anthony, the man who has largely steered his career. In the process, we
see how F1 success has changed this young man's life in a very short
space of time.
"'Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of Tiger Woods-like status: forget his
skin colour, it's about the emergence of a phenomenon. He's in the
process of transcending the whole sport, imprinting himself into the
consciousness of people who would normally have little or no interest in
Formula One.' The Sunday Times, April 15, 2007"
