Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill have been there, seen it, done it, won it - so we asked them for verdicts on their likely successor, Lewis Hamilton, the next Briton poised on the brink of fan-crazed F1 superstardom

It's not easy to become a man of the people. Many willingly put themselves forward, only to be dismissed by a fickle public. Often, it's the reluctant or the ordinary who find themselves raised onto a pedestal. Some blossom in their new position, others shrink and wilt, overcome by the attention.

Success elevates you to a level of recognition that few people can understand, but becoming a genuine sporting icon requires something more: innate ability, unique personality and a certain blend of good fortune that elevates you above and beyond the rest.

That's why Great Britain's last two Formula 1 icons were a moustachioed Brummie with an acute persecution complex and a well-mannered but reserved son of a former world champion. Both endured hardship on their rise to the top, but fate picked them out to become beacons for the nation's hopes.

Now it seems that the nation has ended its search for a new figurehead. Lewis Hamilton ticks all the boxes, has already proved beyond measure that he possesses both the raw speed and race craft to succeed and now has a career that already seems to have developed an unstoppable momentum.

It's not all plain sailing, however. The burden of sporting greatness is a heavy one, requiring broad shoulders. Both Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill - Britain's last two world champions in 1992 and '96 respectively - are both well placed to judge the impact of Hamilton's arrival and warn him of the pitfalls awaiting him as his career gains speed.

Here, then, is their verdict on the man many are tipping to follow in their footsteps.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

"Before Melbourne, I predicted that Lewis would be able to get onto the podium," admits Mansell. "So I wasn't at all surprised that he performed as well as he did in Australia.

He's been absolutely outstanding and brilliant. The timing has also been perfect for him and McLaren. For any driver to start his career with a team that's just returned to the front of the grid is fantastic."

Similarly, Hill has been awestruck by the blend of speed, maturity and commitment that Hamilton has shown in his opening trio of grands prix. "I've never seen a rookie as good as him," he says. "Nobody has, according to the statistics. He's made a tremendous start. Nothing more could have been asked of him, really. He's coped with everything he's faced - he's been superb. Now he has to adjust to the reality of that."

Could he have come out of the blocks any better? Not according to Mansell, who glows with satisfaction when describing the youngster. "Anybody who thinks he could have had a better start is being unrealistic. He's been simply sensational. Although I have to admit that some of the drivers were a little too kind to him in Malaysia," he adds, referring to the first-corner incident in Sepang where both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa left the door wide open for Hamilton's McLaren.

"IF HE'D BEEN RACING AGAINST GUYS LIKE AYRTON SENNA, ALAIN PROST OR EVEN MYSELF, HE'D PROBABLY HAVE RUN OUT OF ROAD RATHER QUICKLY AT THAT FIRST CORNER!"

GROWING UP IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Nonetheless, the die has been cast and Hamilton's career has been flung into the stratosphere after just a handful of races. It's a phenomenon that neither Mansell nor Hill had to face as they each gradually adapted to life in F1.

While Mansell's fighting spirit was evident from the very start of his grand prix career - his first race was spent suffering from burns caused by fuel leaking into the cockpit of his Lotus 81B - he was effectively given enough time to hone his skills to become the warrior that famously fought for world championships.

Even Hill, the son of a world champion no less, enjoyed his Formula 1 baptism largely out of the spotlight, more often than not failing to push his unwieldy Brabham BT60B onto the back row of the grid during a fraught and unsuccessful 1992 season.

"There's one big difference between how Lewis and I began our grand prix careers," says Damon. "I was 33, he's 22. I'd already lived quite a lot of life before I had my success. But...

...HE HAS BEEN GROOMED AND MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THIS SINCE HE WAS A CHILD. HIS LIFE HAS BEEN SHAPED FOR THIS MOMENT...

...and not many of us can relate to that. The closest thing you can compare him to is a child prodigy musician, somebody picked up and celebrated at a very young age."

Mansell also makes the point that Hamilton's ability to blend seamlessly into F1 was helped by his strong foundations in the junior formulas, where McLaren carefully consolidated his career by allowing him several bites of the cherry before moving him on. The approach clearly worked and gave Hamilton a more rounded racing pedigree than if he had been rushed into F1 without the necessary grounding.

"People go on about Australia being his debut race," says Mansell, "but it certainly wasn't his first time in the car - and that helps enormously. In the past, a rookie F1 driver would have only had a couple of tests in the car before his first grand prix. Nowadays it seems like they have to test for a year. And that's why Lewis has been able to step in and do such a superb job straight away.

"In years gone by, not even the greatest drivers could make such a dramatic impact. And his experience in GP2 has also been a factor. In the past, Formula 2 was still quite a step behind Formula 1, but GP2 cars only lap about three or four seconds slower than the F1 cars. It's a much smaller - and more manageable - step."

GEARING UP FOR THE FUTURE

The fluid ease with which Hamilton has graduated from series to series has left him well equipped for his F1 debut. So much so, in fact, that the F1 world is already talking about the youngster's maiden victory being more a matter of 'when' it will come rather than 'if'.

Mansell says:

"HE'S ON THE CREST OF A WAVE RIGHT NOW AND HIS CONFIDENCE COULDN'T BE HIGHER. HE'S THE CHOSEN ONE; ONE OF THE FIRST TO COME THROUGH TO FORMULA 1 HAVING BEEN FULLY SUPPORTED ALL THE WAY.

"And he's grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He doesn't need to worry now. He's already proved that he belongs there. If he'd joined Honda as Jenson Button's team-mate, he wouldn't have made anything like the same impact. He's fortunate that he's walked into a fantastic car and team."

Nonetheless, Hill reckons there's still a gaping chasm between securing a clutch of podiums and taking that first win - an achievement that's by no means easy. "You can never tell when he'll get his first victory," says Damon. "It must never be underestimated how difficult it is to win in Formula 1 - things have a habit of not quite happening the way you want them to. His first win might not be for a while. Then again it might be at the next race - who knows?"

For Mansell, who only truly blossomed into a world-class racer after bagging his first win in the autumn of 1985, victory brought a self assurance that generated even greater momentum. "The first win definitely gives added confidence," he says.

"But given the confidence he's already shown, what comes next should be really impressive! The first win will be just around the corner and that will bring a lot more pressure. But, barring accidents and misfortune, he's got all the credentials to be a future world champion."

BEING A UK SPORTING HERO

If Hamilton's career follows its current trajectory, then he is almost certain to enter the rarefied atmosphere enjoyed only by Mansell and Hill in the past 20 years - that of an F1 driver becoming a bona fide British sporting hero.

Despite the high profile successes of David Coulthard and Jenson Button, British motorsport has been starved of a racing driver who has caught the public's attention in such a dramatic manner as its last two world champions.

For Hill, the burden occasionally weighed him down, drained from him as much as he gained from it - a painful association that raised him to new highs and crushed him to plummeting lows. Naturally, the 1996 world champion is cautious about the fragile reputation that fame affords a grand prix driver. "It's another dimension that you take on as an F1 driver," he admits.

"LEWIS WILL NEED GOOD ADVICE AND A GOOD STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH IT. SOME OF THAT EXPECTATION WILL BE UNREASONABLE AND SOME OF IT WILL BE PURE ENCOURAGEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM. DON'T FORGET, LEWIS NEVER ASKED TO BE THOUGHT OF AS THE SAVIOUR OF BRITISH MOTORSPORT.

"And it's our duty to look at it more fairly than that. Part of the excitement of sport is to enjoy the ride - both the highs and the lows - and we should grant him that opportunity." Despite his warnings for prudence, however, Hill is convinced that life in the spotlight is more than worthwhile.

"It can make a huge difference to your life and should be seen as a huge opportunity. You'd much rather have it than not."

Mansell, a man whose career was carried aloft by the support of a hugely partisan British crowd, is a man well equipped to offer advice and guidance on the peculiarities of being vaunted as a sporting hero.

"IT CAN OPEN A LOT OF DOORS FOR YOU.BUT I SUPPOSE IT BRINGS BAGGAGE WITH IT TOO. THE BIGGEST THING THAT COMES WITH THE ROLE IS RESPONSIBILITY; A RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE PUBLIC IF THEY ADOPT YOU. IT CAN PUT A LOT ON YOUR SHOULDERS.

"When everything is going well, then it's fine. But when it's not, then it can be a burden. Jenson is the best person to ask about that. But I was fortunate that I kept on winning and became world champion, so I was able to thrive on it."

Indeed, many of Mansell's crowning drives were achieved on home soil - where the unconditional support of his home fans seemed to put a wind in his sails that made him relentless, unstoppable. "I always felt the fans were monumentally brilliant," he remembers.

"I revelled in their support at the British GP and won five times on home soil. I really drew strength from the fans - but not everyone could do that, some would tighten up under those expectations."

DOWNSIDES AND ADVICE

Of course, being elevated to the status of cult figure also leaves you wide open to becoming a pariah. Both Mansell and Hill seemed to generate an intense appreciation from fans who could easily excuse poor performances, but both were regularly forced to walk the razor's edge.

For Hamilton, too, life will be full of ecstatic highs - but he must be wary of the pitfalls that his newfound status will bring.

"I was simply not prepared for the amount of attention I received during my F1 career," Hill admits candidly. "I'd never had that amount of attention in my life for anything.

"LEWIS WILL FIND THAT WHATEVER HE'S CURRENTLY ENCOUNTERING WILL BE MULTIPLIED BY A FACTOR OF FIVE WHEN HE STARTS WINNING RACES. YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF, SO YOU NEED A STRATEGY FOR COPING.

"I know Michael Schumacher has his place in Scandinavia where he can go to escape. You also need close friends who will still call you a tosspot if you start acting like one. The level of expectation placed upon you is unfair and uncalled for. You can fall into the trap of feeling responsible for everything that happens as a consequence of your career.

"Did you see Tiger Woods playing at the US Masters recently?" Hill continues. "He didn't look like a person enjoying his golf. And does he have much else other than golf in his life?

"The attention can change you, but hopefully it enlightens you. You must avoid becoming reliant on the fame and attention. It requires maturity and Lewis seems to have plenty of that. Jenson discovered early on that fame is a good game to play, but it can bite you."

As far as fatherly advice goes, Mansell feels that Lewis is already well ahead of the game and needn't be burdened by the endless opinions of the seen-it-all-before brigade. "He shouldn't worry about living up to expectations," says Nigel. "He's surpassed them all already. I wouldn't give two thoughts to that if I were him.

"PEOPLE DON'T NEED TO EXPECT MUCH MORE FROM HIM. THEY JUST NEED TO BE PATIENT FOR THAT FIRST WIN. HE'S ALREADY SHOWN WHAT HE CAN DO.

"In fact, I wrote Lewis a letter last week. I've never spoken to him, but I just wanted to congratulate him."

Hill adds a final cheeky flourish: "My advice to Lewis would be to just do what you want to do. But what I would say is enjoy it. It can get pretty testing at times, but remember Formula 1 is just a sport. Oh, and don't listen to ex-world champions..."

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- The Autosport.com Team

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