As if enjoying the most successful debut in Formula One history was not enough, and then receiving a 30 fold increase in an already generous rookie salary during his first year, Lewis Hamilton will now have a street named after him, too, which probably means that now he really can drive likes he owns the road.

After a thrilling season filled with heroic performances and valiant drives that put his home town on the map, the Stevenage Borough Council wanted to return the favor by also putting the 22-year-old on their map, and are now naming a street after him in a new centre development.

No other driver, not even the great Michael Schumacher has enjoyed such a stellar rise to the top. Although if you ask Lewis Hamilton, he will tell you that it took him 15 years to become an overnight success. But despite that, the youngster never had any doubt that he would be where he is today. He first walked up to Mclaren’s team principal, Ron Dennis, during an awards ceremony when he was just ten years old and told him that he would be driving one of his cars one day. Dennis smiled and told Lewis to call him in 9 years to work something out. Four years later Lewis was driving for Mclaren.

He would spend the next 8 years driving under the Mclaren driver development program and dominating every series he entered, including winning the GP2 championship, (the feeder series to F1) in his rookie year. His father and manager, Anthony Hamilton, gave up everything to support his son. He even took on a redundancy package as an IT manager and took on three jobs to keep Lewis racing. “A lot of what people see now didn’t just happen overnight.” Anthony tells me during an impromptu chat in the paddock of the European GP. “Lewis is the product of a lifetime of commitment, dedication, sacrifices and plain old fashioned hard work.”

Every move has been calculated. From as early as 6 years old, Lewis showed incredible potential. His first taste of motor racing came behind the receiver of a radio controlled car that was a gift from his father. He ended up second in the national championships the following year. His gift is extraordinary, and has been finely honed by an incredible work ethic and unquenchable desire to be the best. By 8 years old, he was already driving karts. And winning. By age ten, he had already won the extremely prestigious and fiercely competitive British Karting Championships.

Lewis’ maturity was put to the test this last season, as he faced new hurdles both on and off the track. He didn’t just overcome them, but in the end, made F1 look fairly easy. He has been likened to Tiger Woods, the black golfer that opened the sport up to a new breed of fans, and has even been credited for single-handedly boosting ITV viewership of Formula One by 40 percent.

But while some feel that Lewis’ rise to the top has been a little over the top, many more will say you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.