SILVERSTONE (UNITED KINGDOM) - Lewis Hamilton admitted Sunday he relished the moment when Felipe Massa beat him to lead at the start of the British Grand Prix and set up his barn-storming battle for a dramatic victory.
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit on July 5, 2015
"You know what?" he said, when asked about his feelings as Brazilian Massa's Williams car, followed by the second Williams of Finn Valtteri Bottas, powered past his Mercedes as the lights went out.
"I love racing…
"And when those guys got past me at the start I was just thinking 'Yeah, Game On!' You know, I've got a race on my hands here… But it was good also that I was still in front of my team-mate (Nico Rosberg), of course."
From that moment, Hamilton fought to regain his position as pole-sitter and leader and, with the aid of two perfectly-timed pit stops in changeable conditions, succeeded to claim the 38th win of his career. Team-mate German Nico Rosberg finished second.
Hamilton now leads Rosberg by 17 points in the drivers' championship after nine of this year's 19 races, the two Mercedes men having emerged triumphant again after a challenging afternoon in front of a 140,000 crowd at Silverstone.
Hamilton said their relatively poor starts were caused by lack of grip that followed a decision to reduce the torque on his car by one step.
He explained that his second pit-stop, to take a set of 'intermediates' as rain made the circuit treacherously slippery in the closing stages, was his own decision.
"I told the team my tyres were gone and it was time to change. Let's box now, this lap. And it was the right decision!
"It is probably the first time in my career I have chosen the right tyres. You can see the rain droplets and I wanted to stay out as long as I could. But then it started really wet and I was aquaplaning. And that is really scary, man! I knew I'd got to go in!"
When Hamilton studied his victor's trophy, he said he felt proud to see the Hamilton name engraved alongside those of Formula One's great names like Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Nigel Mansell, all multiple winners of the British event.
"For me, it is great to be a part of this British history," he said.
"It's just crazy. I have to pinch myself. I can hardly believe it. We have the best fans here.
"I look at this trophy and I know that way after my time, the Hamilton name will be there. I am proud for my family. It will be there for the future."