Lewis Hamilton, the rookie driver who has taken this year’s Formula One world championship by storm, will make his debut appearance in Britain next month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The 22-year-old from Hertfordshire will be competing in a 1.16 mile hill climb behind the wheel of his McLaren racer at the annual motorsport event held in the grounds of Goodwood House, east Sussex. It will be the first opportunity for British motor sport fans to see Hamilton in action in an F1 car on home soil since he burst onto the scene at the Australian grand prix in March.

Event organisers say the young star will receive a rousing reception from the partisan crowds in advance of the British GP at Silverstone in July where Hamilton mania is expected to reach fever pitch. Should he win that race he will become the first British driver to win the home grand prix since David Coulthard seven years ago.

Still in his first season in top flight racing, Hamilton has been dubbed the most exciting British driver for a generation. So far he has finished in the top three in his first five grand prix races and earlier this month made history by becoming the youngest ever driver to lead the world championship. He is currently lying in second place behind McLaren team-mate and reigning world champion Fernando Alonso.

In the aftermath of his success in the first race of 2007, he said: “Finishing third was the perfect launch for the season. But I know I still have a lot to learn. Winning the world title is a target. I would love to win it in the next couple of years. But whether it takes me two, three or four years, I don’t mind. It's always been my aim since I was a kid.”

Born in Stevenage in 1985, Hamilton's rise to the top has been meteoric: he was signed by McLaren on a development contract at the age of 12 then worked his way up to F1 status, winning the Formula Renault UK trophy in 2003. He still lives at home with Anthony, his father, and younger brother Nicholas, who has cerebral palsy.

The unprecedented public interest in Hamilton is likely to eclipse some of the more established names expected at Goodwood which traditionally draws some of the best known drivers past and present. As well as current F1 stars such as Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher, greats from racing's golden age such Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Stirling Moss are also expected to attend the festival which takes place on 22-24 June.

Despite his rookie status Hamilton should feel at ease in the drivers’ enclosure: Stewart, who won three world championship titles between 1969-1973, recently said he felt Hamilton had the potential to become one of the all time greats: “I think he is going to rewrite the book. Lewis will create the new benchmark for a whole generation of drivers”.

Don't miss our special Goodwood Festival of Speed guide published in the Sunday Times and online on June 10th