The mean streak that is driving Hamilton to glory

But look behind the boyish charm and the courteous manners, say those who know him, you will find a young man driven by cold-eyed ambition.

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Championship leader: Lewis Hamilton leads the pack in his debut season

Fellow Formula One drivers Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica, who had European karting at their mercy before Hamilton arrived on the scene nine years ago, are two qualified to shine a light on the hidden strength of the Englishman, 22, as he prepares for the challenge of the Monaco Grand Prix next weekend.

"Lewis is the hardest driver I've met in my career before coming to Formula One," said Poland's Kubica, 22, now of the BMW Sauber team. "We had many nice moments and many fights, but always with fair play."

Rosberg, 21, son of former world champion Keke and now driving for Williams, recalled: "When Lewis came to Italy, then the centre of karting, I thought 'Who the hell is this guy?' Just because he was backed by McLaren didn't mean he was going to be quick. And in that first year he wasn't but that was because his kart was uncompetitive."

Yet Hamilton's inherent speed, and fast mind, soon showed themselves to Rosberg. "Robert, Lewis and I were always fighting for the victories and we shared a mutual respect. We are all determined, very determined," he said.

To some, Hamilton's decade-long apprenticeship, underwritten by McLaren's chequebook and influence, carried a risk of softening his resolve,as Gerhard Berger, 47, a veteran of 210 grands prix, acknowledged last week.

"I saw how Lewis had been spoiled, never had to fight for a drive, how everything was organised for him and I wondered how he could have a killer-instinct in a Formula One car," said Berger.

"Well, like everyone, Lewis has made a fantastic impression on me. We know he had a fantastic schooling, but Formula One is a different league. And to have Fernando Alonso (double world champion) next to him made it even more difficult."

Yet Berger, who won 10 Formula One races and now leads the Scuderia Torro Rosso team, is convinced that Hamilton will receive the same treatment as Alonso under the management principles of Ron Dennis.

"I faced the fastest driver there's ever been in Formula One, Ayrton Senna," said Berger. "But a team like McLaren doesn't go in for the bull of having No 1 and No 2 drivers.

"One time I remember that Honda had only one engine with a new spec and Ron flipped a coin to see which one of us had it. Ayrton won.

"Ron can sometimes be a pain, but he deserves credit for what he has done with Lewis. I think Alonso is the best guy in F1 now — and we haven't seen everything from him yet in a McLaren — but we have seen Lewis is doing a great job.

"A successful driver has to be selfish, like Senna and like Schumacher,and in the car I knew how to be nasty if I had to be. With Lewis, let's wait and see. But he has shown all the right instincts."

Rosberg and Kubica are similarly ambitious. Rosberg said with a smile: "I was always a step ahead of Lewis but I see the reality of Formula One. My time will come, though.

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Single minded: Robert Kubica (left) has been impressed by Hamilton's dedication in his first year in Formula One

"We shared hotel rooms, lived with one another almost day and night. There was a lot of play-fighting and we got up to a lot of nonsense — but nothing serious. He's my friend."

They actually beat Hamilton into Formula One; Rosberg by a calendar year and Kubica by a couple of races.

Yet not only has Hamilton caught and overtaken his boyhood friends, but in front of a disbelieving global audience, he has placed himself as the man to catch after an extraordinary first four races of this year.

Last weekend Hamilton, Rosberg and Kubica — the alpha males of the European Karting Class of 2000 — all scored points in a Formula One race for the first time.

Hamilton finished second at the Spanish Grand Prix in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes — giving him a record-breaking fourth consecutive visit to the podium — while Kubica was in fourth position for BMW Sauber and Rosberg was sixth in his AT & T Williams.

Already, it is apparent that the rivalry and friendship of these three young men will provide a fundamental plotline in Formula One for the foreseeable future.

The next race is always the one that matters most — and none has more prestige than the Monaco Grand Prix.

No driver in history has won on their debut drive there yet Hamilton is unbeaten around this uncompromising street circuit in three previous races; winning a double-header in the European F3 series in 2005 and capturing last year's main support event,the GP2 race.

Rosberg, driving for the same team that his father, Keke, delivered the 1982 world championship, has no doubt that Hamilton will deal with the rising expectation.

"Lewis has won other races at Monaco, so driving a Formula One car round the streets will not be a problem for him," said Rosberg.

"Sure, everything happens a bit faster, but it's still a racing car, not a rocket ship. Lewis will be very competitive at Monaco, just as he has been everywhere else this season."

When Michael Schumacher was relegated to the back of the grid last year for a parking' manoeuvre which denied Alonso pole position, the Spaniard went on to win the race for Renault.

He will be returning to Monaco with wounded pride,exasperated to find himself in the shadow of a rookie called Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg sighed, without rancour: "I am not being asked about my father anymore . . . now the questions are all about Lewis."