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On the fast track
LEWIS Hamilton can forget about growing pains. He hasn't got time for them.
Formula One's most successful rookie (新秀) driver goes into the new season with championship expectations after finishing second last year.
Hamilton already draws comparisons to F1's great drivers, but how quickly does the 23-year-old British driver need a world championship to fulfill all that promise?
Well, he is off to a good start. He won the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, the season-opening race, on March 16. "It is the perfect way to begin the season. I felt just fantastic. I never thought it would have been as physically a breeze as it was," he said.
This year, Hamilton has less distractions (分心) competing for the title after troublesome teammate Fernando Alonso left McLaren for Renault.
Hamilton said he learned a lot from Alonso, on and off the track. "You learn little bits from their driving style, take little bits from how they act," said Hamilton, who, despite their differences, never lacked respect for the two-time world champion. "He's a world champion, so he can act as he likes. I hope one day that someone looks at me and says, "That's the world champion. I need to do that."
Hamilton, who had led the standings for nearly the entire season, lost to Kimi Raikkonen by one point last year. "I think it's very important to experience losing in life," Hamilton said. "Part of losing something you want so much is that it builds your character and makes you stronger."
Being so much in the media spotlight, Hamilton is not yet arrogant (傲慢的) and out of touch like some of his rivals (对手). His brother Nick, who suffers from cerebral palsy (大脑性麻痹), makes him realize there are more important things in life than all the glamour and attention that surrounds F1. After coming second in an F1 race, he handed his trophy (奖杯) to his brother, who he describes as his "best friend and inspiration". "He never complains about what he has. He just keeps his chin up. That is a strong message."
