The boy racer has always done the right thing for himself. Over Mercedes team radio, Prince Harry said: "Lewis, thank you very, very much for not making the British public sweat. You're an absolute legend. Well done mate." But Hamilton hardly acknowledged the royal flag waver. He was caught up in his own world of diamond stud earrings and Pussycat Doll girlfriends. And of course Nicole Scherzinger was at a race for the first time this year. "Today was meant to be," she said.

The final race of the year was one great big photo opportunity for the doll. She kissed Hamilton's helmet. She smiled. She fretted. She put her head in her hands. She gave it the full X-factor judge range of emotions from A to B.

"Oh my God I can't believe it," said Hamilton, as if he were a Kaiser Chief. Er, hang on, I'm just getting a tweet from the PM. He says it's a great day for British motorsport. Hmm. "This is the great day of my life. It's the greatest feeling I've ever had." Me, me, me.

Hamilton has been compared to Obama by one British politician. Jackie Stewart, the last British racer to win multiple world championships, has said, "Lewis can be as big as Ali." David Coulthard, who helped Hamilton early on, said, "People admire him for his talent and his sincerity." An online comment lauded, "Great driver, great man, great champion."

No argument about the driver, but here's a little story. Four or five years ago I was working at a golf tournament. I had my eight-year-old daughter with me and we wandered out of the media tent to stretch the legs. Halfway down the first we encountered Hamilton who was playing a pro-am. "Good bloke" my motor racing pal had told me, despite the view of some of his colleagues.

Hamilton was looking for his ball in the long grass. We helped him look. Finally he gave up and asked, "What do I do now? Drop one here?" There was just me, a marshal and my daughter around. "You can either go back and play three off the tee," I said, "or enter no score for the hole."

Hamilton looked at me as if I were filth and said not a word. It was a look that said, "Who are you to address people like me."

Then I realised my media pass was tucked inside my jacket, but what difference should that have made? It should have made no difference, of course. I was disgusted that my daughter had to witness such colossal arrogance.

Chris Hoy, a man who has made Britain proud, was once asked what Chris Hoy thought of Chris Hoy. He replied, "Chris Hoy thinks that the day Chris Hoy refers to Chris Hoy in the third person is the day that Chris Hoy disappears up his own a*se."

Hamilton disappeared up his own a*se long ago.

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