Hamilton smashes records with double top

Lewis leads championship after winning from pole in Montreal and Indianapolis

Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable ascendancy continues. After finishing second to McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso in Monaco, Hamilton shared the lead of the world championship but had yet to win a race. 

He then headed off to the North American tour comprising the grands prix of Canada and the USA. Montreal and Indianapolis were two circuits of which he had no prior experience – and yet he won both events from pole position and at the time of writing was 10 points clear of Alonso at the top of the world championship title stakes. Already Hamilton is beginning to be talked of as the logical favourite for the crown.

In rookie terms his season seems to be redefining what is possible and from a historical perspective his performance so far is quite unprecedented. 

He took his maiden grand prix win in Canada after leading from the start and staying there following each of the four safety car restarts. At Indianapolis he was under pressure throughout from Alonso, but at neither event did Lewis look even remotely like he was about to crack under the strain.

In fact it was double world champion Alonso on whom the pressure appeared to be telling. The Spaniard’s comments about not feeling comfortable in a British team with a British team-mate caused a stir after Canada, while at Indy he gesticulated to his pit for not instructing Hamilton to move aside at a stage in the race where Alonso believed himself to be quicker.