‘Lewis is completely dedicated and wants his success so badly that he reminds me of Ayrton Senna's absolute desire to win under any circumstances,’ said Hill, who was three-time champion Senna's Williams team-mate when the Brazilian great suffered his fatal crash at Imola in 1994.

Hill, the 1996 drivers' champion, said of Hamilton's unprecedented progress: ‘All I can do is to stand back and be amazed by it, totally amazed.

‘In my opinion, he's got everything he needs already at this stage in his career. I am also very impressed by the way in which he has surrounded himself with all the right sort of people.

‘But, ultimately, it is his level of talent which is so astonishing.

‘At Fuji last weekend in the pouring rain we saw a classic example of a race in which a novice like Lewis seemed guaranteed to make a mistake.

‘But when it came to the crunch it was the seasoned expert - his team-mate Fernando Alonso - who made the crucial slip and Lewis never put a wheel wrong all afternoon.’

Hill believes Hamilton will convert his 12-point lead into world title glory and dubbed him the best driver in the F1 field.

He said in the Guardian: ‘There seems to be precious little reason why he won't get the job done at the end of the day and become the first rookie formula one champion.’

‘He is pretty much the best driver out there racing in formula one today.’

Hamilton also received the backing of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who last night described the Briton ‘a miracle worker’ who had rescued the sport.

‘Lewis Hamilton has been a real breath of fresh air and has resurrected Formula One,’ said Ecclestone.

‘I have been in motor racing longer than I care to remember but I have never seen anyone like him. He has been nothing short of a miracle worker.

‘We lost a big hero in Michael Schumacher but in Lewis we have another. But for him, I'm not sure where the sport would be heading.

‘It is painfully obvious to me that the right guy to be world champion is Lewis.

‘In fact, my main fear would be if he didn't win it. Kimi Raikkonen barely talks to anyone and as such has done little for the sport.

‘And as for Fernando Alonso, in his two years as world champion he has done nothing. He hasn't really been an F1 campaigner at all.

‘But if Lewis wins the drivers' championship, he will act like a real world champion. He will know exactly what is expected of him and what he has to do.’