Lewis Hamilton: The Tiger Woods of Racing?
The Formula One star won the coveted Drivers' Championship by a whisker. His already powerful marketability is now likely to soar
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The eyes of motor sports were on São Paulo on Nov. 2 for the final grand prix of the 2008 Formula One season. At stake wasn't just the F1 World Drivers' Championship—the crowning moment in a global sport whose annual revenues rank behind only the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Equally compelling for fans around the world was the driver who won it: Lewis Hamilton. After a thrilling last-minute comback, the 23-year-old Briton became the youngest champion in Formula One history. With his broad marketability and multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals, Hamilton already is drawing comparisons to sports megastars Tiger Woods and David Beckham.