F1: 5 Reasons why Lewis Hamilton is well on his way to become one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time

#4 Coming close to winning a Championship title in his rookie year

Lewis Hamilton testing for McLaren in 2006

Lewis Hamilton made the world sit up and take notice in only his first year in Formula One. Starting in the shadow of a double world champion and one of the most renowned Formula One drivers, Fernando Alonso, would have been a daunting affair. One might have accepted Lewis to only slowly come into his element and take time before making his name at the taxing sport that is F1. Though, the Briton impressed from the get-go.

Hamilton secured his first pole as well as a maiden win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a circuit he has shown immense preference to by winning a Grand Prix there six times. He was a championship contender from the beginning and went into the last race of the season holding the lead over rivals, Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen. However, in the end, the title eluded him by only a single point.