After Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007, he created waves in the world of F1. The talented rookie had the courage to go out there and contest for victory right from day one and this is what attracted Sir Jackie Stewart’s attention. Very early into Hamilton’s career, the veteran F1 figure then made a prediction that few dared to make and it eventually turned out to be true.
Frank Worrall, in his Lewis Hamilton: Triple World Champion – The Biography book quoted Stewart on this,
“It’s not unusual for a driver to do very well in his first year and have a bit of a dip in the second year – that’s par for the course. But I think within the next three years, Lewis Hamilton will certainly be in contention and could easily win the World Championship.”
Stewart said this during the 2007 Spanish GP, a GP that is renowned for Hamilton’s valiant show. It took place in Circuit de Catalunya, in Barcelona, Spain at his then-teammate Fernando Alonso’s backyard. However, it was the Briton who came out on top despite just having the experience of taking part in three races previously.
Hamilton managed to finish the race in P2, ahead of Alonso in P3, and landed a severe blow to the defending champion. In doing so, the young Brit came up the ladder to lead the 2007 F1 World Championship with 30 points compared to Alonso’s 28.
How mega was Lewis Hamilton’s debut in F1?
Ron Dennis signed a young, talented Lewis Hamilton to race alongside a two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren. Even though no one expected the young driver to go and threaten a much more experienced Alonso, that is what exactly happened right from the first race weekend of 2007.
Alonso and Hamilton started the 2007 season in Australia where the Spanish driver took P2 and right behind him was Hamilton in P3. The Spaniard may have finished the race ahead of the Briton, but the entire crowd was amazed at how brilliant the rookie driver was.
Alonso and Hamilton went toe to toe throughout the campaign and both ended the season on 109 points. Both him and Alonso were just one point behind eventual world champion, Kimi Raikkonen.
He also outclassed his experienced teammate Alonso, who thought that 2007 was going to be his last year in Woking. Today, Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in F1 with 103 race wins and 7F1 world titles. So it’s fair to say that Sir Jackie Stewart was a true visionary.
