FORMULA ONE/BRITISH GRAND PRIX:LEWIS HAMILTON hailed his storming win at his home race yesterday as the "best win I've ever had" after he finished more than a minute ahead of nearest rival Nick Heidfeld here.
The Briton went into the British Grand Prix battling through a storm of criticism from the fickle tabloid press who had, after troubled performances from their star driver, opened fire, questioning Hamilton's celebrity lifestyle, his race craft, even his commitment to the sport which has elevated him into his position as one of the world's most highly-paid sportsmen.
With the pressure piled high, a mistake in Saturday qualifying which relegated the McLaren driver to fourth on the grid seemed to confirm the doubts. In the end, though, it was storms of a different kind that allowed Hamilton to deliver the riposte he has been craving.
The skies opened in the hours before the race and, as the lights went out to signal the start on a wet track, Hamilton seized his chance. He dismissed third-on-the-grid Kimi Raikkonen immediately, then dived to the inside on the run into the turn, Copse, eradicating the challenge of second-placed Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber in the process.
Only team-mate and polesitter Heikki Kovalainen remained and, as the pair swept through towards the Becketts complex, Hamilton tried his luck. Kovalainen was not for turning, however, banging wheels with his team-mate on the slippery surface but clinging to the lead.
It wouldn't last. On lap five Hamilton was through, diving past the Finn as the pair ran through Stowe corner.
Another threat, though, was lurking. Raikkonen had recovered after his poor start and was hounding Kovalainen. The Finn spun and quickly recovered at the tricky Abbey turn and the Ferrari driver was through.
As the rain cleared, the champion's moment seemed to arrive. He began to close on Hamilton's McLaren - at an alarming rate. The Briton had enjoyed a five-second gap in the rain, but as the track dried slightly the Ferrari began to come on song and Raikkonen made his move, tearing almost a second a lap out of Hamilton's lead.
It seemed predictable.
Despite being troubled by a nervous-looking car all weekend, Raikkonen and Ferrari had always appeared to have something in reserve. The feeling going into the race was that in race-trim the McLarens would simply not be able to stem the red tide.
But then the Ferrari strategists erred - spectacularly. Over the radios, pit crews could be heard warning of rain, possibly a light shower. The chance to gamble arose. Raikkonen was out on worn, standard wet tyres. As he arced into the pits for his first stop, they gambled, forgoing a tyre change and sending him back on track on the same rubber.
It was a fatal error.
Ahead in the pitlane, Hamilton took on new standard wets. The rain came and, though neither tyre was the perfect choice as the shower turned into a steady downpour, Raikkonen's tyres, with their grooves almost worn away, could not cope. His advantage turned to deficit immediately, the Finn now touring at up to five seconds a lap slower than Hamilton.
Now the Briton was imperious.
Everywhere else on the circuit, cars on similar tyres were spinning out. Nelson Piquet exited the race, Jenson Button's Honda was the next to bury itself in the gravel, Canada race winner Robert Kubica followed.
Hamilton, though, was flying, lapping seconds quicker than anyone, save eventual third-place driver Rubens Barichello, who'd taken on extreme wet weather tyres and was carving his way through the field in the normally uncompetitive Honda.
The day, though, belonged to Hamilton, and, as the sun suddenly appeared in the last 10 laps, so too did the acclaim of the capacity crowd, the cheering almost drowning out the sound of Hamilton's V8 as he crossed the line to take victory.
"On the last laps I could see the crowd starting to stand up, and I was praying, praying 'just finish'," Hamilton said. "You can imagine the emotions going on inside and I wanted to get it around.
"It is definitely and by far the best victory I've ever had. It was one of the toughest races I have ever done. I was thinking out there, if I win it, it will be the best race I have ever done, not just because of the home crowd."
The Briton went to thank his family, father, Anthony, and brother Nick, who he claimed had helped him deal with the pressure of the past weeks.
"I want to dedicate this one to my family," he said. "As you know, I have had some trouble in the last few weeks and it has been tough, but the family is there for you, and before the race my brother said, 'don't worry about it'. So thanks to them."
Hamilton was followed home by BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld with Barrichello third. It was the Brazilian's first podium finish since the US Grand Prix of 2005, but the Honda driver claimed he had never lost faith in his ability to feature on the podium again.
"I never lost the belief I have in me with the speed and everything," he said. "It was obviously a lucky day and it seemed to happen to me.
"I love the wet weather conditions, but it was a perfect race. It was the right decision for us to take extreme wet tyres. I was passing people from inside to outside, it was just magic."
