Ron Dennis' decision to give Lewis Hamilton a seat in the McLaren team for 2007 has added weight to the Briton's claim for a prestigious Laureus World Sport Award.

The Awards recognise sporting achievement in various categories, and Hamilton's rapid elevation to F1, on the back of successive titles in the F3 Euroseries and GP2, have made him a strong contender for a 'Breakthrough of the Year' nomination. The names of nominees will be announced early in the New Year and the winners unveiled in the spring.

Hamilton, who will make his F1 debut alongside double world champion Fernando Alonso in Australia next March, will become the first black driver to compete in motorsport's top flight, and secured his place at McLaren after winning the competitive GP2 Series at his first attempt. Impressive testing performances in the post-season preceded the announcement of his deal to partner Alonso, although sources insist that the Briton knew he was in line for the seat almost as soon as the title was won.

His battle with Nelson Piquet Jr in 2006 should prepare Hamilton well for what looks set to be one of the toughest Breakthrough selections in recent years, with sprinters Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Xavier Carter, Korean golfer Seon Hwa Lee, swimming prodigies Britta Steffen and Laure Manaudou, female footballer Ma Xiaoxu and royally-connected equestrian world champion Zara Phillips all being tipped to join him on the short-list.

Motorsport rivalry comes in the form of MotoGP star Dani Pedrosa, who won rookie of the year honours for the second straight time, having been crowned as 250cc world champion in 2005. Although doubters claimed that he was not big enough to race the heavier MotoGP bikes, he proved them wrong with wins at Shanghai and Donington Park that kept him in title contention until late in the season.

Tennis 'veteran' Amelie Mauresmo could also be nominated having finally achieved grand slam success, as did Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, the first Chinese players to do so.; The Ghanaian men's football team, who made the last 16 on their World Cup debut, and Germany's Lukas Podolski, who was one of the tournament's individual stars, are also in contention

Cycling's Damiano Cunego, winner of the maillot blanc as best young rider in this year's Tour de France, is a strong favourite for nomination after bouncing back from the Epstein-Barr virus, while fellow Italian Andrea Bargnani is in contention after becoming the first European basketball player to be picked first in the NBA basketball draft.

Motorsport has frequently done well at the Laureus Awards, with Renault's title-winning F1 effort lifting last year's team award, and Valentino Rossi being presented with the Spirit of Sport award. Alex Zanardi was named as 2005 Comeback of the Year, and Juan Montoya as 2002 Newcomer of the Year, while Michael Schumacher has twice won the Sportsman of the Year title.