At 13, while most boys were getting spots, he was talent-spotted by McLaren.

And at 22, while most young men were nursing post-university hangovers, he had set the nation alight with his truly outstanding driving ability in Formula One.

Vijay Pattni takes a look at the highs and lows of the career of Britain’s new F1 superstar – Lewis Hamilton.

Ever since Lewis Hamilton strapped himself into a kart at eight years old and raced to glory, he has never looked back.

And in his first ever season in Formula One, the young British starlet raced to glory – and secured a place in the nation’s heart.

His first race at the Australian Grand Prix in March was to set the standard – in this, his debut F1 season, 22-year-old Hamilton finished third – and became the first debutant to finish on the podium since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996, setting a new record as the youngest ever podium finisher.

And in only the sixth race of his F1 career, Lewis Hamilton achieved glory after he won the Canadian Grand Prix – a race which saw BMW driver Robert Kubica survive a crash, and the safety car intervene four times.

The signs were all there for the British round of the F1 calendar – Hamilton was leading the board and would start in pole position. But in front of an expectant home crowd, the plucky young upstart finished third – and still managed to squeeze onto the podium.

His penchant for needling his way into the top three – a record nine consecutive such finishes – was brought to a dramatic end in the European Grand Prix, at the Nürburgring.

And the F1 world was about to be dragged through an episode of Dynasty as the McLaren/Ferrari spy saga threatened to uproot all of Hamilton’s hard work.

With the threat of expulsion from both the 2007 and 2008 F1 championships, Britain was once again put on a sporting knife-edge as millions waited to see the verdict on the story.

Although McLaren were stripped of their constructor’s points, Hamilton didn’t lose any of his hard-fought championship points.

And so with hearts in mouth, Hamilton raced to victory in one of the most thrilling F1 victories to date – racing through hazardously wet weather to claim the top spot in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Setting the stage for the penultimate race, Hamilton had to bow out ungracefully in the Chinese stage of the championship – he didn’t finish.

And although he could still win the title – a faulty gearbox in Brazil proved his ultimate undoing, as ‘Iceman’ Kimi Raikkonen swept up and took the title.

But even though Lewis Hamilton finished second, his astonishing, dedicated and raw driving style has written some of the most entertaining F1 stories.

Check out our exclusive Lewis Hamilton slide show now

Read more about the F1 title decider and have your say on the Auto Trader Blog.

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