No Time to Stop and Reflect for the Father-and-son Team That Rose to the Top

It was business as usual for Lewis Hamilton as he prepared to fly back to Europe from Brazil. The new world champion was unsure yesterday whether he would be heading direct to the UK or to his luxury flat in Switzerland but his mind was already on the next round of testing for McLaren which is likely to come some time next month.

The notion of Hamilton sitting on a sun-soaked beach for the four months running up to next year's Australian grand prix in Melbourne paints an unlikely image to those who know him. Despite his unyielding competitiveness and relentless speed behind the wheel of a grand prix car Hamilton is remarkable in his sheer normality and uncomplicated demeanor.

"Next year we want to have more consistency," he said, after finishing fifth in Sunday's Brazilian grand prix to clinch the drivers' championship by one point.

The next few days will be crowded for Hamilton. He is due at the McLaren headquarters in Woking for a function on Wednesday, will carry out some sponsorship appearances for Vodafone on Friday and will then be off to Stuttgart for the weekend for the annual celebrations of the Mercedes-Benz workforce, suppliers of the McLaren engines.

Hamilton puts great store by family values and his father, Anthony, is always at the races keeping an eye on his son's progress. It is only 12 years ago that Hamilton Sr was having to work at three jobs in order to fund his young son's kart racing program.

The two men are close without living in each other's pockets and Hamilton acknowledged he would never have made any progress in motor racing had it not been for his father's determination. "He's done all the work to get me where I am," said Lewis.

"He is a great family man and I would not have won the world championship without him. But of course he is also a father and can be a bit of a pain sometimes."

Yesterday Hamilton Sr was in a reflective mood as he mulled over how far his son had come. "When we started out I was earning £14,000 and spending £1,600 on the mortgage.

"We fell into go karting as it was something to bring the family together and we had no idea where it would lead to. We weren't following anyone and there were no aspirations. It was just a great thing to do one afternoon.

"Even for the first two, three years we didn't think anything would come of it, even though Lewis was competitive from the start. At the time we were just enjoying it because we didn't have any money and I didn't have a good job.

"We struggled as a family. I just thought the best we could do was to make Lewis as decent a young man as we could so that when he was at school he would work harder and maybe do business studies.

"The idea was he that he was never going to be a racing driver. We have no sporting people in our family at all. But then one thing led to another and from then on I never really had any doubts he would make it. None at all."

Lewis also offered his appreciation of the support he has received from his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, a member of the American all-girl pop group the Pussycat Dolls, who was in the pit lane at Interlagos on Sunday to join in the cheering. "The most important thing for me is that I have my family to help me keep my feet on the ground and keep a balance to my life.

"Nicole is part of that bubble around me. She has lots of positive energy and I really appreciate the fact that she flew all the way to Brazil to support me."

Hamilton was already looking forward to next season and the ways in which he might improve his performance. He added: "Every year you have episodes which help you build on your experience and I want to do everything better next year.

"I don't anticipate changing too much. When I am back in Europe I will have a little vacation but basically it is all now preparing for next year.

"I love racing, love getting in the car and all the satisfaction. Just to get one championship has been incredibly hard, so hopefully the second will be easier."

Hamilton, the sport's youngest champion at 23, was keen not to be drawn into comparisons with other drivers and dismissed talk of matching Michael Schumacher's seven world titles. "I don't plan to try to reach any of his records," he said.

"They don't mean a huge amount to me. They are not something that appeal to me. I just love racing, getting in the car and winning championships, with the feeling you get after all that work from the people around you, and you extracting the most out of yourself. That's the most fulfilling achievement, so records are not so important."

Formula one's most wanted

Lewis Hamilton Britain 23

Current team McLaren

Debut Australia March 2007

Contract Signed extension in January through to 2012

CV 2008 world champion, 2007 runner-up, nine grand prix wins and 13 pole positions. Recently declared: "I could easily drive with this team for the whole of my formula one career."

Robert Kubica Poland 23

Current team BMW-Sauber

Debut Hungary August 2006

Contract Signed one-year extension for 2009 for a reported €12m

CV Has been a model of consistency in 2008 with seven podium finishes to finish fourth in the driver's championship, including a first pole in Bahrain and first win in Canada

Fernando Alonso Spain 27

Current team Renault

Debut Australia March 2001

Contract reportedly a three-year, $100m deal through 2010

CV World champion in 2005 and 2006, has 21 grand prix wins and 17 pole positions. His move to McLaren in 2007 ended in acrimony but has restored his reputation at Renault. Rumours of a dream move to Ferrari for 2010 persist

Sebastian Vettel Ger 21

Current team Red Bull

Debut US June 2007

Contract Moves from Torro Rosso to parent team as David Coulthard's replacement for 2009

CV Youngest ever pole sitter and winner, both in Monza this season, beating Alonso's record by 317 days

Timo Glock Ger 26

Current team Toyota

Debut Canada June 2004

Contract signed until 2010

CV Left formula one after debut year to race in the US and GP2. Returned this season to replace Ralf Schumacher and best result was second in Hungary

Nico Rosberg Ger 23

Current team Williams

Debut Bahrain March 2006

Contract runs through 2009

CV Rejected offer from McLaren for 2008 to stay with Williams. Started with a podium finish in Australia, but struggled for the remainder of season