Hill: Lewis, Maybe the Best British Driver Ever

Barely has the F1 championship finished and Lewis Hamilton is already subject to several praising-approaches from former F1 driver and British politicians. After the British Prime Minister congratulated the McLaren driver for winning the F1 crown, former champion Damon Hill praised his fellow countryman for keeping his cool and getting the job done in the season finale at Interlagos.

“Lewis is a tremendous talent, a great ambassador for British motor sport and possibly one of the greatest drivers we have had in this country. He has got a world championship in the bank and I think he is going to be difficult to stop from now on,” said Hill after one of the most thrilling race in the history of the sport.

Hill, who won a title of his own for Williams Renault in 1996, was the last British driver to be crowned world champion in Formula 1. It has been 12 long years for the British fans inside the sport, but the wait payed off in Brazil last weekend, as Hamilton grabbed the title in dramatic fashion. The McLaren driver got into 5th place with a couple of corners until the finish line and secured his maiden F1 championship ahead of Ferrari rival Felipe Massa.

“It was despair with two laps to go. We couldn't believe what we were watching because we thought 'how's it gone wrong at this late stage?' and then, on the last corner, Glock was overtaken and we were suddenly back in the frame again. Poor Felipe Massa and Ferrari were up and down, everyone here was up and down - it was just a tremendously exciting race.”

“The rain at the end seemed to throw Glock incredibly. Lewis at one point had got it wrong but actually it turned out to be Timo that had made the mistake. My congratulations to Lewis, Lewis' family and to McLaren - it is so good to be celebrating a British world champion,” concluded the BRDC president.