It’s difficult to imagine a time when the world didn’t know who Lewis Hamilton was. Like any other driver, he, too, was just another young gun trying to make his way up to the pinnacle of motorsport. That was until McLaren saw the potential in him and snatched him up to give him his Formula 1 debut in 2007. 7 World Championships and 16 years later, Hamilton has become a household name. But even before he made his F1 test debut for McLaren in 2006, a former Ferrari General Manager saw the potential in him, one that was destined for greatness.

As Ferrari’s General Manager, Peter Windsor developed a knack for scoping out talent. All it took was one look at Hamilton for him to know what lay ahead for the then-21-year-old young Brit. It’s safe to say the seven-time champion lived up to his expectations. And now, Windsor opened up about his first impression of Hamilton.

Drivers like Lewis Hamilton come along “very rarely”

On a YouTube livestream on his channel, Windsor was asked if he believed Hamilton would become as successful as he did when he first met him in Valencia in 2006. “That was the first time I really met Lewis and watched him drive. It was an F2 test at Valencia,” said Windsor. “You know what? Short-corner drivers at that level only come along very rarely. I’ve been around for quite a long time now.” 

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If you think about it, an F1 circuit is just corners and straights, with corners being the connectors between two straights. Short-corner drivers try to spend the majority of their lap time on straights and limit their time navigating through corners. Mastering this technique takes quite some time, but Hamilton made it look easy the first time Windsor saw him. He added, There’s only about eight [drivers] that I’d think, ‘Wow, this guy is breathtakingly good.’ Nigel [Mansell] was one, Lewis was another. Obviously, as a kid, watching Jim Clark. That was a third. Max [Verstappen] definitely.”

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To answer the initial question posed to him, Windsor concluded, “So yeah, you think, ‘This guy is for sure going to make it.’” Windsor’s gut feeling was right because as soon as Hamilton got the opportunity to step up into F1, he proved McLaren made the right decision by putting its faith in him. The former Ferrari General Manager revealed how Hamilton got the better of his experienced teammate.

How did Lewis Hamilton have one of the best rookie seasons in history?

When 22-year-old Hamilton first stepped into an F1 car to compete, he was pitted against two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren. Fresh off his two consecutive championships, everyone expected Alonso to outperform the young Brit. But in typical Hamilton fashion, the now-seven-time world champion defied the odds and had one of the best rookie seasons F1 will ever witness. After 4 wins and 109 points in his debut season, Hamilton finished the year tied on points with Alonso, missing out on the title by just 1 point.

While discussing his 2007 season, Windsor explained where Hamilton got the better of Alonso. He revealed, “First season [at McLaren], he was shocking Fernando Alonso at how quick he was straight away, and actually doing things a little bit better in his first season in a couple of areas than Fernando. Like high-speed braking. Good example.” Apart from showing his dominance over Alonso in high-speed braking scenarios, Hamilton’s ability and talent to consistently match the two-time world champion quite literally drove Alonso out of the team, with the Spaniard going back to Renault.

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What was your first impression of Lewis Hamilton?