Lewis Hamilton walked up to McLaren boss Ron Dennis after an awards ceremony eight years ago and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm Lewis Hamilton and I just want you to know that I'd like to drive your car one day," he said, offering an outstretched hand. source: eurosport.com If Dennis thought that he had seen it all in decades as a hardened Formula One team principal, Hamilton made him think again: he was tiny, 12 years old, extraordinarily self-possessed and black. There has not been a black Formula One driver since the world championship started in 1950 but the 20-year-old Briton now looks certain to be the first. He could well be on the starting grid in 2007. So dominant has he been in his carefully-managed rise through the junior categories that some have already cast Hamilton as motor racing's answer to Tiger Woods. McLaren, who have backed the race ace throughout his formative years, are interested only in what he does on the track and they believe he can be a world champion. "His blackness isn't important," Dennis told reporters at the McLaren factory last week."I have constantly said to him 'The moment that you exploit your blackness, you are going to have a problem with me. Basically you've got to develop your career on your ability to drive a racing car'." EXTRAORDINARY TALENT That ability is evident. Hamilton has won a string of karting titles, was British Formula Renault champion in 2003 and dominated this year's European Formula Three championship with 15 wins from 20 races. "The way I see it, my colour is an advantage in that it's something people talk about," he told the Sunday Times newspaper earlier this year. "But the bottom line is that it's clearly not why I'm in this position. "I'm happy if other black kids see what I'm doing and realise it can be done, but that's not what motivates me. I'm doing it for me, because I want to win in F1 and because I believe I'm good enough to do that."
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