And, according to Gary Anderson, the Ulster engineer who has spent the past 30 years designing F1 cars for Brabham, Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar, Lewis Hamilton has everything it takes to be the next big superstar of grand prix racing.

But as the clock counts down to the start of the 2007 F1 season in Australia on Sunday, Anderson warns that the onus is on McLaren to provide him with the package and support to make the most of his talent.

Although McLaren have been one of the grandees of F1 for more than two decades, they failed to win a race in 2007 for the first time in ten years.

Now, with World champion Fernando Alonso on board, a new car and in GP2 champion Hamilton, potentially the best British driver since Nigel Mansell, they have to raise their game, says Anderson, who is now an F1 TV commentator.

"Lewis is an absolute star," he said. "And now that he has paired up with the man who is classified as the best in the world in Alonso he has got the best tutor anybody could ever have.

"As long as he takes that the way I think he will - completely open-minded and willing to learn - I think he will do a great job and I wouldn't be surprised to see him even shock Alonso a few times along the way.

"I've watched the guy over the last two years. He has been backed by McLaren for a long time so I knew this type of thing was going to happen.

"In GP2 he won the championship, and in some races he was right at the back of the grid for various reasons and had to come through the pack. He had that pure determination and he deserves his drive at McLaren.

"A lot of people are saying it's a year too early and that he should have had another year's testing first, but I think that's absolute rubbish. He has the strength of mentality to allow him to learn from Alonso and should take the opportunity with open arms and get on with it.

"He has got a great opportunity to become one of the best Formula 1 drivers in the longer term."

Coleraine-born Anderson stressed, however, that Hamilton must be strongly supported if he is to fully exploit his potential.

"Has he got the talent to win a race in 2007? He has indeed. But does McLaren have the ability to handle a new driver coming in? That's the question mark.

"McLaren are not renowned for their ability to bring on new drivers. I think Michael Andretti back in 1993 was the last time they took on a F1 novice, and that didn't work out too well. I think if Lewis doesn't win it will be McLaren who have let him down not because he is not capable of it."