F1 Lewis Hamilton chalks up sensational victory in the Germany Grand Prix
Last updated 7/25/2011 9:27:28 AM
F1 Lewis Hamilton chalks up sensational victory in the Germany Grand Prix
Britain's former World Champion Lewis Hamilton put McLaren back in the chase after a remarkable victory in the German Grand Prix.
Hamilton insisted it was not just the cold temperatures which had made it possible for McLaren to beat Red Bull and Ferrari when few expected an against the odds victory.
"I don't think it's just the conditions," said Hamilton, who fought back tears after the race.
"Mark Webber, me and Fernando Alonso were all within one tenth of a second of each other lap after lap."
It was that tight as the three battled it out for supremacy from the start as Hamilton, starting from second on the grid, Hamilton jumped Webber at the start, but lost and regained the lead twice before completing the 16th win of his F1 career.
"The race was about real perfection and about not making mistakes," said Hamilton, who is still a massive 82 points behind championship leader Sebastian Vettel with nine races remaining in the season.
"I think all the emotion and effort and energy that the team put into the car, when we don't see results like this it slowly builds up, so when you finally do hit the sweet spot, it just couldn't feel any better.
"I think we really never expected to come here this weekend and be anything like so fast. We were hindered in the last race a little bit, but the guys did a fantastic job, really pushing very hard, and the engine was great, and I just feel great, it was one of the best races I've ever done.
"Bit by bit I've learned more about how the car is behaving, with driving style I've learned to look after the tyres a little bit more - there were just certain areas I was losing out.
"I was really surprised my tyres lasted so long later on in the race - so I guess there are still areas we need to improve, particularly on heavy fuel at the start of the race, but it is a massive step forward."
On the manoeuvre which saw him pass his former McLaren team-mate and bitter rival Alonso on the outside of Turn Two, Hamilton said: "It felt great - and it's good to get some positive comments on my driving. It was a difficult decision, but I had the grip and he didn't get on the power as I thought he would have.
"That was one of the best starts we've had for a long time, and it's made a real difference. I positioned my car in the perfect way, I was able to keep the guys behind.
"We've been improving the car, but when we came here we had two very, very small updates and that was nowhere near what we wanted."
Hamilton, answering his critics, claimed he had combined aggression with precision.
He said: "I think today I was in a really very good head space and perhaps I feel even better because I felt the moves I did were some of the most precise moves I have pulled in a while.
"Being able to drive with your head all the time and get it right, just right, is massively satisfying. As I said, I will continue to do it the way I do it and continue to improve."
Hamilton's win is his first since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. With Vettel still enjoying such a big lead, however, Hamilton declined to rate the chances of him coming back to challenge the German for the drivers' title.
"We're not really looking at that," he said.
"Again, we never really anticipated being so competitive this weekend, but of course, we've just had a win and with the way people have finished the race, it's a massive bonus or positive for us, but there's still a long, long way to go and it's about trying to keep doing this, trying to get some consistency.
"If I say something now, and then the next race could be a disaster because it's a very, very hot track, we could be in a similar position as we were in Valencia.
"I would prefer to keep my mouth closed and let the pace of our car do the talking."