And that effectively meant it was the fastest of all.

Hamilton was faster than former Formula One world champion Damon Hill as well as current stars Jenson Button and Mark Webber, who have already taken part in the programme's "star in a reasonably priced car" feature.

The Englishman said he would come back on to the show to have a go on a dry track.

The select group of racing drivers is pitted in a separate category to stars such as Hugh Grant, Simon Cowell, Ellen MacArthur and Gordon Ramsay who have all taken the challenge in the past.

Hamilton, who narrowly failed to win the world championship in his rookie season after losing out to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by one point, also went head-to-head with presenter Jeremy Clarkson in a studio interview.

The McLaren driver talked about the thrill of crashing and how he still cannot avoid his dad's driving tips.

"He truly believes he's a better driver than me and that if he had been given the opportunity, he would be in F1 right now," said Hamilton, who also admitted it has been his dream to appear on the show.

Elsewhere in the interview, Clarkson asked who Hamilton would want to be his team-mate next year and speculated he presumably wanted someone useless - to which Hamilton answered: "Do you want a go?"

Lewis Hamilton celebrity interview & lap - Top Gear - BBC autos