The young Brit's pedigree has however, as Moss acknowledges, been evident for some time, with sustained title successes in karting, F3 and GP2 on his way up through the junior formulae. Describing the 22-year-old as “a breath of fresh air”, the 16-time grand prix winner said he recognised in Lewis qualities that are seen only extremely rarely.
“I think he is quite a stunning driver,” he underlined. “The way he drives is very interesting. If you watch him, he is always there waiting to pounce and looking for a space to put his car, and that's the sign of a true racer. In my entire career of 525 races, I don't suppose I drove against more than four or five real racers, so to see Lewis coming in like that is a breath of fresh air.
“I'm really very impressed with him, and not just by his driving but by his personality too. Here is this guy who is very down-to-earth – not in any way big-headed about anything – and at the same time also a racer.”
The next outing on the 2007 calendar – Monaco – in addition to being the jewel in
Formula 1's glittering crown, is equally a venue at which in three appearances Hamilton has yet to lose. Not only does Moss believe the young prodigy can secure his breakthrough grand prix victory around the tortuous streets of the Principality, he also argues a tilt at the title in his maiden campaign in the top flight is far from out of the question.
“Monaco is a funny place,” the 77-year-old stressed. “It's a tough race and very fickle with it. In my day it was 100 laps; it's shorter now but of course a lot faster too. I think Lewis has the ability to win there, and if the car keeps going and he gets a good start to the weekend I would think he is as likely to do it as anybody. It's fairly important for him to be at the front when the lights go out, which will hopefully allow him to pull away and open up a lead. That would give him potentially a tremendous advantage.
