If ever someone responded to the challenge thrown down in front of him at Silverstone, it was Lewis Hamilton.

Despite poor visibility right through the race from the rain, in which Hamilton said he could barely see through his visor, nothing could stop the young man spraying a different and slightly more tasty type of liquid all over everyone else at the end.

With his rivals sliding all over the place Hamilton produced a near flawless display to wrench himself right back in the mix for this four-way race for the Drivers' Championship. Felipe Massa, the championship leader, spun his car five times and finished last out of a field where seven didn't finish.

Hamilton lapped all but two cars in the field and finished 65 seconds ahead of Nick Heidfeld in his BMW Sauber. It was a stunning piece of driving and ability mixed with concentration and amazing reflex and guess work from Hamilton.

After the race he said: "You could never imagine the emotions that were going on inside. I wanted to push, I wanted to get around. It was so extreme out there and I was having big problems with my visor - I couldn't see a thing."

Although Hamilton insisted he would have been happy with eighth place and one point, it really was a make-or-break race for the man from Hertfordshire. Perhaps a third or fourth-place finish, if it had been offered to him before the race, would have been gratefully accepted by the team - but Hamilton is irrepressible.

From a starting place of fourth on the grid he sensationally jumped to second before the first bend. It was an edgy and dangerous manoeuvre but the 23-year-old pulled it off in some style. It could have been the pivotal moment in Hamilton's quest for Championship glory.

After the French and Canadian GPs it was looking a rather difficult task for Hamilton, but his response has been that of a champion. The troubles and squabbles of last year are forgotten and Hamilton is modest in his assessments of his chances, reiterating time and again that this is all "a work in progress".

Hamilton will not be lulled by the cruel media into making outlandish statements of intent or become embroiled in futile attempts by many to undermine his achievements. He knows how to handle the jealous quarters, the people who want to bring him down because they feel he has been given the golden treatment for so long.

These petty instances will continually rear their ugly heads and won't ever go away for Hamilton, but it seems he has the correct attitude - on the race track and off it.

The world is full of people jealous of others' success and being able to handle it is of paramount importance. We have in Hamilton a genuine superstar and champion in the making. So what if he has basically been reared from birth to do this? He seems happy enough, doing what he does best.

It's not often these days that Britain gets presented with such luxuries. We have a man here more than capable of becoming and staying world champion - and in the very near future. In fact, I believe we may be celebrating just that at the end of the season.