Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton's on-track slump coincided with a slump in his previously golden status among the British public, it has emerged.

An online survey commissioned by Sky asked 2000 Britons aged under the age of twenty-five to name their favourite male hero.

While Hamilton, the 23-year-old formula one driver, would surely have topped the charts during his rookie season in 2007, he has now been beaten by a host of rival celebrities.

Bigger heroes, according to those youngsters surveyed, are football player Steven Gerrard and musicians Pete Doherty, Alex Turner and Kanye West.