With just two races remaining in the second year of GP2 racing, Lewis Hamilton, in his rookie season, is definitely on track to secure the crown with a ten point lead over rival Nelson Piquet junior after a brilliant drive in the Sunday race here at the Istanbul circuit.

After dropping back to 16th on the grid after a spin on the second lap, the young Brit fought back gallantly. By lap five he was up to 12th, and by lap 13 he was fifth, eventually crossing the line in a brilliant second place after an epic battle with Timo Glock.

Now, with the crown firmly in his sights, Lewis is confident that he can cope with the hustle and bustle of the Formula One world and has urged McLaren chief Ron Dennis to put him in the available seat alongside Fernando Alonso for the 2007 Formula One season.

“I want to drive alongside Alonso. That’s what I am working so hard for,” he said in the Sun. “If you look at the youngsters coming into F1 today they are able to go quick straight away. I’ve got good tactics and speed on the track and that’s what counts. If I can get enough testing over the winter then I will be ready for the start of the season.”

However, although he is only too well aware of Hamilton’s talent, Dennis doesn’t think the step up into the pinnacle of Motorsport should come so fast….

“The place to develop young drivers is not in the pressure of Grand Prix racing. For someone like Lewis we’d want thousands of kilometres of testing under his belt. We’d want to feel very comfortable that he fully understood all of the regulatory processes.”