The 22 year-old rookie – the first black driver to race in Formula 1 – was never headed as he extended his remarkable run of success.

No F1 driver has ever won the championship in their debut season. But Trackside’s Keith Collantine reckons Hamilton can be the first.

There are five reasons why Hamilton can be champion this year:

He’s got his first win

It might have looked as though Hamilton had it easy in the Canadian Grand Prix. But true sporting greats make it look easy when really it isn’t.

All around the track, drivers far more experienced than Hamilton were pulling their wrecked cars out of the walls. Others fell foul of the safety car rules and were disqualified or picked up penalties.

Parts of the circuit were breaking up under the cars and constant crashes littered the track with debris.

Fortune set hundreds of traps for Hamilton to fall into, and he dodged every one.

He’s got a great car

At the beginning of the season Hamilton’s McLaren-Mercedes MP4-22 looked fast, but not the equal of Ferrari’s rapid F2007.

But the Montreal race may have been a turning point. Ferrari were expected to dominate – but instead McLaren were on top, just as they were at Monte-Carlo two weeks ago.

Having a competitive car is essential in F1 if you want to compete. Just ask Jenson Button – he struggled with uncompetitive cars for 115 races before scoring his first win last year.

He’s got a great team

Hamilton is lucky to be serving his F1 apprenticeship in a squad where there are no team orders. He is free to race and beat his twice champion team mate Fernando Alonso.

After the Monaco Grand Prix McLaren were charged with rigging the race in Alonso’s favour.

But the sport’s governing body exonerated the team, and the race lap times backed them up. Alonso was simply quicker than Hamilton on the day.

Hamilton and Alonso have beaten each other three times in the six races so far this year. But with the Hamilton eight points ahead and the championship heading to Indianapolis – often a bogey circuit for Alonso – the Briton is poised to seize an advantage.

He’s got the speed

How is Hamilton so fast? It’s all down to the back end of the car.

Keep a close eye on the rear of Hamilton’s McLaren when he’s on a hot lap. As he brakes and turns in to quick corners the back of his car is jumping around much more than other drivers’.

Hamilton sets up his car to handle this way because it allows him to carry more speed into the corner.

His phenomenal natural talent allows him to keep the car under control despite the constant bucking and sliding of the rear.

Watch him at work through the chicane at Monaco two weeks ago:

He’s got the moves

Hamilton has phenomenal race craft – although we’ve only seen glimpses of it in F1 so far.

The Malaysian Grand Prix proved the best showcase for his talents so far. At the start he scythed past both Ferraris, passing Felipe Massa around the outside.

He then defended his position for lap after lap from Massa’s Ferrari, finally suckering the Brazilian into braking too late and spinning off.

Last year in GP2 he thrilled crowds with stunning and brave overtaking. At Silverstone he passed Nelson Piquet Jnr and Clivio Piccione simultaneously in a 150 mph curve.

Overtaking is supremely difficult in F1 – but Hamilton is a master of the art.

Any weak spots?

Hamilton has barely made a mistake worthy of the name in his first six races.

He ran wide once or twice in his debut race in Melbourne. And he crashed at Monte-Carlo – but that was only during practice.

There are two aspects of his game that have not yet been tested in the pressure-cooker environment of Formula 1: How quick he is in the wet, and whether he can win a race from further back on the grid.

But so far, everything we’ve seen from Hamilton suggests he can be the first driver to win the title in his debut season.

Racing round up

F1 Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal

Robert Kubica suffered a sprained ankle in his enormous crash half way through the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s victory in the chaotic race gives him an eight point lead over Alonso in the championship. Kubica’s BMW team mate Nick Heidfeld was second and Williams’s Alex Wurz third.

DTM, Brands Hatch

Briton Paul di Resta lost his lead in the German Touring Car Championship when he was eliminated in a multi-car collision at Brands Hatch.

Reigning champion Bernd Schneider took a consummate victory for Mercedes under massive pressure from the chasing Audis of Martin Tomcyk and Mattias Ekstrom.

Trackside video

A young Lewis Hamilton wins a cadet kart race at Buckmore Park – sweeping past his astonished rivals on the final lap.

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