Following the publication of ESPN's World Fame 100 rankings, Mario Andretti explains why he believes Lewis Hamilton ranks among the biggest names on the list

You could see from the moment he entered the sport with McLaren that Lewis was special. He proved it with moments of brilliance in his first year and went right to Job No.1, which is winning.

He was confident early on -- I would say even serene -- and he very quickly became a world champion. With that kind of success comes more of the good life, including trotting around the globe meeting movers and shakers.

Lewis is making the most he can out of his life on this earth. Some drivers feel they must remain solely focused on the job and lead a life without distractions, but Lewis is different. To him the world is not a distraction. He needs all of life and vast interests to feel fresh and invigorated when he gets back to his job. Using the whole world as his stage works well for him.

In some ways I felt the same during my career. Some drivers don't venture far from their motor homes parked very close to the track, but I wanted to stay at the best hotels and eat at the best restaurants. I was not quite the wanderlust as Lewis has in his own wonderful way, but I needed a life outside of motor sport.

Lewis does it with such respect and poise and class. He's experiencing what the world has to offer. If there's a fashion show or charity event in London, New York or Los Angeles, he's there with sincere interest rubbing elbows and engaging with all the influencers in that industry. When he goes to China he posts a photo on his Instagram with his entourage on the Great Wall.

Used correctly, social media is an important tool for high profile personalities because it's a way to be in touch with your fans. Lewis has more than three million followers on Twitter. Just look at the reach and the influence and inspiration that he creates for millions of people who follow him because they want to know him. I'm one of his followers! I love to see what he's doing away from the track.

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And I've never seen him doing anything that could be considered an interference with on-track performance. Quite the contrary, actually. His life outside of racing gives him added dimension. He has charisma. There's sort of a hum that follows him. I think he has a personality and attitude that sponsors and fans embrace. I think what he does promotes the sport. He takes his personal interests to the limit -- and he takes his race car to the limit. He can go from race track to board room to fashion show to the Great Wall. It's wonderful. I admire his great interest in life. Not just in racing -- but all of life.

He's had to deal with a lot of bad luck this season, but he's kept his head up. How you handle setback and defeat is a testimony of your character. All of this plays in his favour. I compliment him in every way for what he's done and continues to do. He's a pretty complete dude, quite honestly.