"Very few drivers, even at the height of Formula One, stay clinically cool mentally at the start of a race. And the Japanese race demonstrated that Lewis is still very young, in only his second season. Although he comes across as very cool in interviews, he doesn't always have the same level of mind management when he's racing."

Before the weekend, Hamilton's aggressive driving style had come in for further criticism from his rivals, notably Robert Kubica, who finished second in the race and continues to hold slim championship ambitions. With Hamilton's Fuji antics likely to ensure the matter is debated once again at this weekend's Chinese GP, Stewart warns that the Briton needs to be careful.

"Lewis can still win the championship, but not if he drives the last two races the way he drove in Japan," he admitted, "It was rather ironic that Fernando Alonso won [as, last year,] he was totally put off by Hamilton's raw speed and huge natural talent - the only time I've seen Alonso display weakness in his career so far.

"Over the last two races, however, his experience and maturity have been obvious. Lewis, on the other hand - because he's privileged to be in one of the top teams at such a young age - has had to fast track his learning curve in order to deliver for all concerned. This can be very impressive, but it can cause havoc on other occasions."