Hamilton a Year On: a Maturing Master of the Arts Who Was Made for Formula One

1 Improved race craft

Skill, exuberance and improved race craft were the qualities highlighted by Sir Jackie Stewart as Britain's 23-year-old Lewis Hamilton prepares for the first anniversary of his maiden formula one victory in tomorrow's Canadian grand prix.

"You just can't buy the sort of experience, in racing terms, which Lewis has accumulated during his first season in formula one," said the retired three-times world champion of Hamilton's achievements. "There's no substitute for the top formula in that respect and it is crucial when it comes to developing skills. This is nothing you can acquire in other feeder categories like formula three or GP2."

What particularly impresses Stewart is the way in which Hamilton slows down the process of driving an F1 car into a series of freeze-frame segments. The great drivers get into a groove and rhythm built on supreme confidence that allows them in their mind's eye almost to slow the race down. Such control, Stewart believes, is one of the hallmarks of an outstanding driver and Hamilton has built on this exercise to great effect in his second season.

"His drive at Monaco [two weeks ago] was absolutely masterly, a great blend of skill and exuberance," Stewart added. "He looked as though he was going to do it - and he delivered on that promise.

"Lewis now is coming up to start his 24th grand prix this weekend - already up to one quarter of the 99 races that I competed in during my entire career - and all the signs are there that he's done a pretty good job in avoiding the performance dip which I refer to as the 'second season syndrome', although it's not over yet."

2 Composure at the wheel

So what makes Lewis so special as a driver, Damon Hill was asked. "Apart from his driving ability I would have to cite his overall conduct, his calmness, serenity and beautiful composure," the 1996 world champion said. "That equilibrium ensures that he is able to get the absolute maximum of his driving talent. He obviously knows he's pretty good but there's no trace of ego here. You won't find Lewis strutting his stuff; there is an overall subtlety to his personality and character which I admire hugely."

Hill pinpointed the way in which Hamilton destabilized his then team-mate Fernando Alonso by putting him under huge pressure at the Montreal race last season. The president of the British Racing Drivers' Club believes Hamilton is an instinctive driver whose skill is spontaneous and comes naturally to him. Hill endorsed Stewart's viewpoint that Hamilton demonstrated exceptional racecraft at Monaco. "It's a place which can step out and bite you, just as Lewis will have learned for himself," he said.

3 Boost of experience

Hamilton himself describes his experience in Canada last year as "one of the biggest accomplishments of my life" from which maturity has been one of the benefits. "To take my maiden pole position and victory in formula one was incredible, even more so as it was with the McLaren-Mercedes team," he said. "It would be great to go back there and do the same, and that is what we are working hard to achieve. Since then I think I've matured a lot. I think I have grown stronger as a driver and have become closer to the team.

"That weekend I came here with a clear mind knowing what was going to happen. And I out qualified my team-mate, got it on pole and then it was pretty smooth sailing from there. I just looked at some data from last year - and I remember my first stint was incredible. I pulled a good 10-15 seconds into the lead."

The interesting aspect here was that Hamilton came to North America last year after a frustrating race at Monaco where he believed that he had been prevented from winning due to team orders which obliquely favored Alonso. He somehow managed to keep those frustrations under control in a manner which allowed him to attack the Canadian grand prix with a resolve that broke Alonso's spirit.

4 Enhanced self-confidence

The quiet air of self-confidence has been one of Hamilton's most outstanding traits since the start of his career and Niki Lauda feels he has balanced an understated self-belief with the sort of aggressive edge that goes towards making a top-class driver.

"Lewis radiates even more self-confidence than he did last season but somehow he never lets it get in the way of his competitive performance," said Lauda, who won the world championship twice for Ferrari in 1975 and 1977 and once for McLaren in 1984.

Lauda pointed to the perils of many drivers, who allowed themselves to get carried away with early success. "It means in turn they believe too much in their own talent. If that happens there is always the danger of a driver finding that he's less capable of dealing with the inevitable disappointments which come with the ebb and flow of racing fortunes."

Lauda reinforced his assessment made last year of a "complete driver". "In all my time involved in this business I have seen many impressive drivers, but never anybody who was so complete and obviously prepared for formula one. With his confidence at its current level after his Monaco win, there should be no stopping him."

5 Psychological strength

Handling high-octane relationships between a pair of highly motivated drivers can be as challenging a task as any in the formula one business - witness the McLaren intra-team rivalries over the years, most notably between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the late 1980s and a decade later between the likes of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.

Managing such partnerships has always been part of the challenge for McLaren but it was to be expected that both men would milk the episode in the pit lane in Hungary where Alonso held up Hamilton to good effect during qualifying for last year's race. Hamilton was mentally tougher for the experience.

"I think racing drivers like to race and they don't like being told what to do," said Hill. "They respect the fact they have been given opportunities but they are there for themselves. That is the truth. I think it has to be respected. It sometimes is implied that they are selfish. Well, yes. That is the point. The point is for you to win and not the other guy. And the rest of the planet applauds that. And Lewis knows that."