Whitmarsh says: “He was very cosseted at McLaren, very controlled by two individuals he wanted to divorce himself from [his father and Dennis]. They had contributed to his growth but then ultimately limited his growth. I think he had the belief that he had to become his own man, and he had to be able to survive and grow further without those two dominant characters. Hamilton first led the championship after the fourth race of the season, taking it away from Alonso at the Spaniard’s home grand prix. The problems that led to the team unravelling began at the next race in Monaco. In the British Grand Prix at Silverstone their high-speed collision sent Verstappen crashing violently into the barriers. While he was transferred to hospital for tests that found him badly shaken, Hamilton went on to win despite a time penalty after stewards found him predominantly to blame for the incident. At the Italian Grand Prix the duelling duo’s coming-together at Monza’s first corner ended terminally with the Red Bull perched precariously atop the Mercedes. For Hamilton, who escaped with wheel marks on his helmet, this was his first non-finish in 63 races. In the penultimate Saudia Arabian round, won by Hamilton ahead of Verstappen after yet another acrimonious altercation in which the Mercedes rear-ended the Red Bull, caused according to Hamilton by a dangerous ‘brake test’ manoeuvre for which his rival was assessed a time penalty. During the 21-race season Ferrari and Red Bull each won three races but were undermined by uneven performances. Mercedes, superbly organised and cohesive with a strong team spirit united in a common cause, tallied 15 victories. Lewis Hamilton led the charge, outscoring his improving team mate Valtteri Bottas 11 victories to four and leading the league in terms of consistently delivering points. He was the only driver to score in every race, finishing on the podium in all but four events. The only sport I beat him in was tennis. It was the only thing I have ever beaten Lewis at, and only in one game, because he realised he had no chance against me, so he never, ever wanted to play against me again.”

Rosberg’s lead was out to 33 points and there were four races left. All Hamilton could do now was win them all, and hope that some misfortune befell Rosberg in one of them. But, he insists, it was not because he was Lewis Hamilton’s brother. “Ever since I’ve started racing, it’s been hard because people compare me to Lewis and say I’m only there because he’s a multimillionaire. It is rare for me during the season to get a decent period of time at my parents’ home to spend with Nic but we did have a few this year. After the Turkish Grand Prix, for example, and before I had to travel to Italy, I went home to my parents’ house in Hertfordshire. The weather was great, Nic was there and we had fun doing all kinds of things together.TO BE A FORMULA ONE RACING DRIVER you need to be extremely fit and prepared – both physically and mentally for the whole challenge. It is far more exhausting than you can ever imagine if you have never raced in a car. And it is not easy. Sometimes, if you are not feeling right, if you do not have the right energy levels, it can be impossible. It is important to find your own way, then keep your mind clear and maintain the right level of motivation. That’s probably when he rebelled. He didn’t do it when he was 15. He did it when he was a world champion and it was all my fault because as a parent I forgot how to let go. And Lewis said, ‘Do you know what, Dad? I have to go and do my own thing.’” It wasn't all good times. I remember his dad working on computers on a Saturday morning while I got the kart ready," he says.

The rain came down more heavily with two laps to go, and Hamilton ran wide, letting Sebastian Vettel’s Toro Rosso slip ahead into fifth place. Now the title was in Massa’s hands. Hamilton, who does not yet have a contract for next year, added he would "love to stay" in F1 and wanted to continue to campaign for change when it comes to human rights, diversity and e We never forget. We continue our work," said Hamilton. "We believe in a world where children like George's don't have to worry about whether their dad will come home at night. No matter what sport we played, Lewis always had to win, and he was so good at everything. He’s just naturally talented for any sport. If we were climbing, he was the best from the team. Whatever we did, it was, ‘Man, Lewis again winning.’ It was a bit embarrassing. And if you are a little bit lonely and are not getting much attention that is the perfect thing to do, just mention my name."

The background of the story

Many of the pivotal figures in his journey - such as karting supremo Martin Hines and McLaren duo Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh - are well known.

Wolff says: “He’s almost philosophical about certain things. He spends a lot of time thinking. He is someone who hasn’t built his whole life on one particular pillar. It all circles around his driving. He is the F1 world champion. But now he is the F1 world champion and he’s a fighter for diversity, a fighter against racism. These are topics that go far beyond the racing driver. Hamilton also admitted he considered quitting F1 after the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year, when a controversial interpretation of the rules resulted in Max Verstappen denying the British driver an eighth championship. “I don’t know if I can really put into words the feeling that I had,” the British driver said. Hamilton said he preferred to stay with Mercedes and try to rebuild the team into championship winners than move to a car that was already winning. His fame transcended his sport but the high-flying, tattooed hero with diamond ear studs never lost his driving ambition, his hunger to win. He worked hard at self-improvement, added a thinking dimension to his hard-charging instincts, made fewer mistakes and became an unstoppable force in 2015.

Wolff ‘baffled’

Late that summer, Hamilton had a massive falling out with Dennis, who had made some damaging personal accusations about his driver to Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche in a vain attempt to stop Mercedes signing him. His ability to question himself and to develop is really amazing,” Wolff says. “It is not something you see very often in champions. You can see they are following in a different manner, in an aggressive manner, in a way that is not comfortable at all for the car in front. Hamilton set up The Hamilton Commission to improve F1's diversity, and has also been outspoken on human rights abuses in countries where F1 is staged. The problem comes when the rear tyres drop off. That’s when they are so much better than the rest. They still keep the speed going in.”