Lewis Hamilton

You can't help but feel pleased for Lewis Hamilton. All year the McLaren driver has shown superb pace and a willingness to overtake that none of his Formula 1 rivals have matched.

And yet, he found himself lagging behind in the World Championship, courtesy of misdemeanors like his team's extraordinary qualifying gaffe in Malaysia and his last-gasp retirement in Spain.

June though, has been very different. After beginning the month on a high after lucking into a victory in May's Turkish Grand Prix, he managed his tyres perfectly in hot conditions in Canada to win and move into the lead of the World Championship.

A second place in last weekend's European Grand Prix made him June's EDGE Performer of the Month by a sliver from title rival Sebastian Vettel. Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Kurt Busch completed the top five scorers.

Hamilton's ascension to F1 was a carefully planned one. A couple of early karting titles were enough to convince McLaren to sign a long-term management deal with him when he was just 12.

The Formula Renault UK title came his way in 2003, only his second full year in cars, with a then record number of wins for the Manor Motorsport squad that now competes in F1 under the Virgin Racing banner.

He won the F3 Euro Series with the crack ASM squad in 2005, taking 15 victories from 20 races, and then triumphed in his maiden season in GP2 the following season with ASM's partner team, ART.

Ranking Year

He was granted an F1 seat at, of course, McLaren the following year alongside defending World Champion Fernando Alonso and amazed the Spaniard with his speed and aggression, missing out on the title to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by just a point despite winning four times.

He put right that statistic in 2008 as he again came to the final race in Brazil leading the way. This time though, a last-corner pass on Timo Glock's Toyota secured him the fifth place he needed to claim title glory in the most incredible circumstances.

Such success had him leading the Castrol Rankings into 2009, but a poor first half of the season in what McLaren acknowledged was one of its worst F1 cars ever dropped him as low as 12th overall.

Wins in Hungary and Singapore in the second half of the season brought back his confidence, but it's been a totally revamped car that has been the catalyst for his rise back up the Castrol Rankings this year.

The championship lead had already been taken in Canada, but his second place at last weekend's European Grand Prix - achieved despite a drive-through penalty for overtaking the safety car - also brought him to second in the Castrol Rankings and onto the tail of Vettel.

Roll on Silverstone. That number one spot is well within his grasp.