Hamilton: One season wonder?

Mar 6, 2008, 10:29 GMT

British Forumula One driver Lewis Hamilton of McLaren gives a thumbs up during a practice session at the Catalonian Circuit of Montmelo, Barcelona, Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, 25 February 2008. Hamilton edged out Germany\'s Michael Schumacher and Finland\'s Kimi Raikkonen on the first of the three final pre-season Formula One test ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 16 March. EPA/ANDREU DALMAU

Hamburg - Lewis Hamilton came within a whisker of winning the Formula One championships in his debut season last year.

A mixture of inexperience and misfortune in the last two races allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to overtake him, to win the title by point over the McLaren men Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Now the 23-year-old British driver is out to show that his maiden season was not a one-hit wonder but the start of a magnificent Formula One career.

With Alonso, his erstwhile team-mate and sometime adversary, now departed to Renault, Hamilton has Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen as his partner in what appears to be another head-to-head with Ferrari.

Hamilton is confident the MP4-23 car will provide him with the means of achieving his ambition of becoming world champion.

'It's going to be a tough season again and by no means will it be easy so we are working as hard as we can,' he said at the recent Laureus World Sports Awards in St Petersburg.

'But I feel even more confident than last year, even more determined because I know what to expect, I know how to manage my time better, I know how to train better and how to drive better so I feel very optimistic.'

Alonso himself believes that with the experience of 2007 Hamilton will find his second Formula One season easier.

'After a year, you know all the circuits and how the races go,' the 26-year-old Spaniard said recently.

'You understand the pressures so there are many things that will give him an advantage compared to last year.'

Hamilton was on the podium 12 times in his 17 races last season, winning four of them, with six pole positions to his name.

However, Alonso, who also won four races last season, believes Raikkonen remains favourite for the 2008 crown in what he expects to be a fight between the two Ferraris and two McLarens.

Formula One legend Alain Prost also believes Hamilton will draw on his the experience gained last year to win the championship which starts in Melbourne on March 16.

'I think Lewis will be the top guy. If he has a good car, I don't think it should be a problem. He has more experience now,' he told the BBC.

The Frenchman, who won the title four times, three of them with McLaren, said Hamilton can expect a fight on his hands from the Ferrari drivers, with Renault perhaps also challenging.

'The Ferrari will always be there, so we don't know about Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa - it depends on whether Kimi has the same motivation or not,' he said.

'Fernando Alonso will be just a little bit behind, but quite close.

'We are going to see how he (Lewis Hamilton) is going to handle this extra pressure.'