Hamilton: I'm not a racing certainty yet

Lewis Hamilton insists he knows the pitfalls of getting carried away with his brilliant start in Formula One.

The 22-year-old Briton was third on his debut for McLaren in Australia and followed that up

with second place in Malaysia on Sunday behind team-mate and reigning double world champion

Fernando Alonso.

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At this early stage – he trails Spain’s Alonso by just four points – Hamilton has to be considered a genuine title contender. The maturity displayed in his two performances has made him one of the men to beat – and an

instant star in the process.

Ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix even the Stevenage-born driver admits his

achievements have been beyond

his wildest dreams.

"To have started my debut season in F1

with two podium positions is more than I could ever have expected," said Hamilton.

"With the team I will keep pushing hard to develop and continue to fight for more results

like these.

"However, I am aware this is a dream start in a difficult sport."

McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh is looking forward to a battle for supremacy with

Ferrari this season and added: "To be leading both championships is fantastic. However, we are not in any way having any thoughts of

complacency."