Damon Hill, Britain’s last world champion, has tipped Lewis Hamilton to resist becoming a ‘loser’ in 2008 on the back of immense pressure to perform.
Hill, the 1996 drivers’ title winner for Williams, has been among the most vocal admirers of the 23-year-old’s sensational rookie season for McLaren last year, when Hamilton won four races and nearly the championship.
But to the Times newspaper, Hill – now boss of British grand prix promoter the BRDC – points out that the flip side of Hamilton’s form last year is that “he has created very high expectations and anything less and he’s a loser”.
“It’s a case of ‘welcome to the sharp end — in this game there is only one winner’. But he knows that.
“Lewis is tough and I think he won’t disappoint us,” Hill added.
