It's an annoying expression, but nonetheless, it has to be admitted that, thus far, Lewis Hamilton has managed to tick nearly all the boxes.

He's consistent, he's a proven winner and he is not easily intimidated, far from it.

That said, there are still a couple of boxes that need ticking, and one of those might not be empty by the end of the afternoon.

Sine 'Lewis-mania' first really took a grip, the sceptics have been asking two obvious questions. Firstly, how would the English rookie perform in as lesser car, and, secondly, how he will react following a 'big one'.

Of course, it might be some time before we see the youngster in 'inferior' equipment, then again, with each race the Ferrari F2007 appears to be the class of the field.

However, as for the second question, ignoring the fact that Lewis has already had a 'big one' this year - we refer to his crash at Valencia in January - today he should be able to tick one more box.

Back in January he wrecked one of the team's only MP4-22s seriously compromising the Woking outfit's first test with the car, but returned a week later to top the timesheets. This is time it's different however, this is no private test but round ten of the Formula One world Championship. A championship that he leads and as result stands centre stage.

Will he return to work today and pick up where he left off just five minutes before the end of yesterday's qualifying session - having set the quickest time in the first sector - we'll soon know. However, we are pretty confident that he will. With the Woking team having repaired his car, Lewis will start from tenth on the grid, behind Jarno Trulli and alongside Ralf Schumacher.

Surely only a fool would bet against the Ferraris today, and in particular Kimi Raikkonen, who appears to be on a role. For once, the presence of Michael Schumacher doesn't seem to be affecting him, and the back-to-back victories in France and Britain have rekindled a championship bid that just a month ago appeared to be falling apart.

That said, Felipe Massa has been no slouch this weekend and he too is very much in the championship hunt, while Fernando Alonso will be seeking to make the most of his teammate's misfortune, since it gives the Spaniard an opportunity to close the points gap.

Other than the 'gang of four', or it that 'gang of three' today, we can expect a solid showing from the BMWs, though the World Motor sport Council should surely hold an extraordinary meeting to discover why Nick Heidfeld has named his new baby son Joda. Points should be deducted.

A magnificent qualifying performance from Mark Webber, however, it remains to be seen whether the Red Bull will go the distance, the Australian having suffered appalling reliability this year.

While Toyota has shown an improvement this weekend, Renault hasn't, and it is highly unlikely that the French team will be taking the fight to BMW this afternoon.

The Williams' will start behind Hamilton today, however, it is unlikely that he will have them on his tail for long, the Grove team appearing to have lost its way in the last couple of races.

After a strong performance in qualifying, we wouldn't be surprised to see Super Aguri beat Honda again this afternoon, the Brackley outfit appearing to concentrate its efforts on 2008 and beyond.