Hill and Walker back Hamilton for next year

Damon Hill, BRDC President and the last British driver to win the Formula 1 World Championship, was joined by legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker and more than 150 fans on Sunday to cheer on Lewis Hamilton at a private screening of the Brazilian Grand Prix in the BRDC Clubhouse at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix.

The British F1 sensation finished the Brazilian Grand Prix in seventh place, as Kimi Raikkonen clinched the Drivers' World Championship title, winning the race ahead of Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa in Sao Paolo. Hill, the 1996 World Champion commented, "I would have loved to see Lewis win today. He will be disappointed, but he will regroup quite quickly. Lewis has shown more potential as a newcomer this year than any rookie driver has ever done. He has shown that he is a serious contender."

""This has been the best F1 season in a very long time; it is great for the sport. I hope that Lewis wins the championship next year. He started as a novice and ended up missing out on the title by one point. We should celebrate this great performance and achievement. The worrying thing for the other drivers is that he's only going to get better. He'll get a fantastic reception wherever he goes next year, none more so than at his home race. We're all looking forward to 2008 and a very exciting British Grand Prix at Silverstone."

Murray Walker added, "Kimi was worthy of the title but I'm sorry for Lewis. He has had a fantastic first year in Formula One, leading the championship until the last race of the season – which is quite an achievement for a 22 year old. For someone who is usually very focused, I think the pressure got to him and it was his bad start that cost him the race. If he hadn't had gearbox problems and a bad start he could have been World Champion."

"The future for Lewis Hamilton is gigantically bright and this is only his first year in F1. He has a gift for turning negatives into positives, is enormously sensible and well balanced and will be even stronger for next year. It's not a question of if Lewis can win a World Championship it's when and we look forward to a record crowd at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next year."

Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, confirmed that more than twice as many tickets have already been sold for the 2008 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix, taking place on 4-6 July, compared with the same time last year. Phillips commented, "Two or three of the most popular grandstand areas have already sold out. We strongly advise fans to purchase their tickets as soon as possible."

-credit: bgp