Delivery on Demand

There is something unnerving about Lewis Hamilton. It's not his speed, his consistency, his maturity, his ability to learn new tracks immediately, or even his ability to put the car right on the line but not over it. Instead, it's his ability to exceed expectations and answer questions even as they are being posed.

Every new rookie who arrives in Formula One with championship-winning credentials is subjected to the same checklist of empirical criteria before their star status is acknowledged - first pole position, first fastest lap, first podium finish, first win, first win in the wet, first clean sweep of pole-fastest lap-win, first championship. On the flip-side of the star equation are the first major accident, first victory thrown away by unforced driver error, and instances of being dominated by his teammate.