Hamilton hails 'phenomenal' win

Hamilton delighted after 'incredible' win

Lewis Hamilton hailed his victory in an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix at Spa as one of the best performances of his Formula 1 career.

In changing conditions, the McLaren driver controlled the race from the start after passing Mark Webber off the line to register his 14th GP win.

"I'm ecstatic, a race like that can be a lottery, and I'm so happy to come out on top," said 25-year-old Hamilton.

"It almost feels like this is my first win. It's just phenomenal!"

The result brought him level with former world champions Emerson Fittipaldi, Sir Jack Brabham and Graham Hill, who each had 14 wins during their careers, in only his fourth season as an F1 driver.

But he needed one piece of good fortune as rain fell during lap 35 and he ran wide at Turn Eight, coming within inches of the barrier before recovering the car from the gravel.

ANDREW BENSON'S BLOG Hamilton was virtually flawless all weekend and this win will surely come to be ranked among his very best

The 2008 world champion said: "I was losing temperature on the tyres and I locked my wheel and went wide, but I was able to get away with it and stay ahead of these guys.

"The team did a remarkable job, we're constantly pushing, we're not as fast as some of these guys, but it's great that we maximise what we have.

"At the end I was hoping the safety car would stay out a bit longer! Then it was about nursing the car home and bringing it back in one piece, keeping a small gap between me and Mark [Webber] and bagging those points."

The victory gave him a three-point lead in the drivers' standings with six races to go this season, while defending world champion Jenson Button, who crashed out of the race following a collision with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on lap 16, trailed his McLaren team-mate by 35 points.

He really is at the top of his game at the moment, but he has been driving well for a couple of years McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh

Button said the accident was a "massive blow" to his chances of keeping his title.

Meanwhile, Webber insisted he was happy with second in his Red Bull after a disastrous start which saw him lose six places before Turn One.

"I got a big 'bog' on the formation lap and we made a small adjustment on the clutch, but it got worse at the start.

"Second is fantastic. It's very easy to come away with nothing following a small mistake."

Hamilton, meanwhile, was praised by McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who saw his other driver, reigning champion Jenson Button, have to retire after a collision with Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel on lap 16.

"There's no doubt about it: today we saw a truly fantastic race and an utterly brilliant victory," said Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh hails 'fantastic race' from Hamilton

"Apart from one heart-stopping excursion, Lewis was in command of things from lights to flag, and drove prodigiously well all afternoon - all weekend, in fact.

"From the moment he went out on Friday morning, he was palpably excited about being here at Spa, and it was clear that he always felt confident that a win was on the cards.

"He really is at the top of his game at the moment, but he has been driving well for a couple of years. We needed it, and he's now leading the drivers' championship."

Fernando Alonso's race ended in the first lap when his Ferrari was taken out by Williams's Rubens Barrichello - making his 300th grand prix start - at the Bus Stop chicane.

The Spaniard remains in fifth place in the drivers' standings and Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is still optimistic he is still in contention for the world title.

"Three of the [top-10] leaders didn't score, so everything is possible," said Domenicali.

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