A McLaren gamble that paid off big time for team and driver

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On this day in 2006, McLaren set history in motion when it announced that it would promote its 21-year-old rookie and protégé Lewis Hamilton to F1 in 2007.

The reigning GP2 champion - who had joined McLaren's young driver programme at the age 13 - was set to become the first black driver to compete in F1, a "dream come true" achievement for the young man from Stevenage.

While the young charger was highly rated, McLaren boss Ron Dennis downplayed expectations, admitting that promoting Hamilton to race alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was a gamble.

"Statistically, Lewis is going to find it tough in the first few races of his Grand Prix career," Dennis said at the time.

"You only have to look at the first few races of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher to realise that unless he is something really exceptional - and that I doubt because they are two really exceptional drivers - you can't expect, and nor do we expect, immediate performance."

Fifteen years, 20 wins and seven world championship titles later, "exceptional" is an understatement when it comes to the talented Mr. Hamilton.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.