Lewis Hamilton has hailed his phenomenal victory in Sunday's British Grand Prix as "by far the best" he's ever had.
Brit becomes first home winner in eight years
Lewis Hamilton has hailed his phenomenal victory in Sunday's British Grand Prix as "by far the best" he's ever had.
Starting fourth on the grid in wet conditions, the McLaren Mercedes driver almost took the lead from team-mate and polesitter Heikki Kovalainen at the very first corner.
He passed the Finn on lap five before pulling away from the field, Hamilton eventually taking the chequered flag no less than 68 seconds ahead of the second-placed driver, BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.
While Championship rivals Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica all spun - the latter out of the race - Hamilton held it together.
His only trip across the grass came midway through the race as his intermediate tyres struggled to cope with driving rain.
With Massa finishing out of the points and Raikkonen coming home fourth, the result also means that Hamilton is now tied with both Ferrari drivers at the top of the Drivers' Championship.
"It is definitely by far the best victory I've ever had," assessed Hamilton. "It was one of the toughest races I've ever done. As I was driving I was thinking, 'if I win this it will definitely be the best race I've ever won'.
"That's not only because of its history, but also because I'm on home ground and I drove one of my best races ever.
"I was coming to the last lap and I could see the crowd beginning to stand up and I was just praying, praying, praying, 'keep it on the track and just finish'.
"You could not believe the emotions inside. I wanted to push, get it round, and we did. The team did a fantastic job."
Downbeat
Hamilton admitted to arriving at Silverstone feeling downbeat, in particular after being drained by the events of the last few weeks.
Failing to score a point in Canada and France had piled pressure on his shoulders coming into the race, and after describing his performance in qualifying as "a terrible job", his mood was heavy.
However, Hamilton then proceeded to deliver in droves when it really mattered, offering a display to match the feats of his hero Ayrton Senna.
"The last couple of weeks I've been flat out, working very hard, a lot of travelling and many different things, different emotions in my life," he reflected.
"I've obviously had a couple of bad grands prix, so coming into this one I felt it would have just been nice to have started with a clean slate and get some points, or even a win.
"I have to say my mind's always been right. I've just had a lot on my plate in my personal life - nothing too serious, just life in general.
"To be honest, this morning I wasn't feeling great, but it wasn't until I got to the track and I spoke to my family, and then I was good.
"I saw some kids as I had time to see some fans at the gate, and it gave me energy. All of a sudden I had so much energy.
"I have to say a big 'thank you' to all the fans. They have been so incredible throughout the weekend. Without them I wouldn't have done this. This is the best weekend ever."
