Lewis Hamilton – A portrait Of Britain’s New F1 hero, by Andrew van de Burgt (Haynes, £14.99)

11:31am Saturday 5th April 2008

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LIKE that difficult second album for a trailblazing rock group, eclipsing an exciting first season often proves problematic for even the most talented of sportsmen.

That is the hurdle Lewis Hamilton faces in his second year as a Formula 1 driver.

So far this year there has been one great result and one disappointing one for the man in the silver McLaren. This weekend's Bahrain GP promises to set up an exciting season.

If you want to catch up on how Hamilton got here, you could do worse than this portrait of the young driver by Andrew van de Burgt.

The book is a well-presented offering of the Hamilton story so far and his headline-grabbing first campaign as a grand prix driver.

While the 2007 season should, by rights, be remembered for Kimi Raikkonen's amazing comeback to snatch the title away from Hamilton, it will live longer in the memory because of the manner in which McLaren's rookie driver burst on to the motor-racing scene.

Illustrated with some great photographs, Hamilton's rise from teenage karting champion to the sport's biggest personality is told in a race-by-race fashion.

This becomes slightly monotonous during the early years but, with almost two-thirds of the book dedicated to reports, quotes and results from last year's F1 season, it provides a comprehensive record of a year in which the sport regained some of its lost appeal.

The deterioration of Hamilton's relationship with team-mate Fernando Alonso is also followed right through to the pair's thrilling three-way championship battle with Raikkonen that went to the wire in Brazil.

Van de Burgt's account provides a faultless reference guide for Hamilton's career - up to and including his first F1 season - with the only disappointment being there is very little biographical detail on its subject.