Hamilton vows to repay British fans
Monday 11th July 2011
Lewis Hamilton has vowed to repay the legions of British fans for their overwhelming support with a Silverstone success story in the future.
Hamilton hailed Sunday's race as one of the best British Grands Prix of all time, despite finishing fourth, 29 seconds behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
But after all the negativity and flak Hamilton has faced leading up to this race with regard to his driving style, his performance was vintage, and one in the eye for his critics.
The first few laps, in particular, showed McLaren star Hamilton at his best, weaving his way up to fifth from 10th on the grid and in tricky conditions given a rain shower that had soaked around three quarters of the circuit an hour before the start.
One brilliant manoeuvre on Alonso epitomised his courage, diving down the inside of the Spaniard into Copse where it was still wet having shortly beforehand switched to slick tyres.
There were brief hopes of victory soon after the second stop when he closed to within a second of Alonso, who at that stage had taken up the lead.
But it was not to be, not in a car lacking performance compared to the Ferrari and Red Bulls, with Sebastian Vettel edging team-mate Mark Webber to claim second and so open up an 80-point lead.
And certainly not after being told to save fuel 15 laps from home, allowing Felipe Massa to close in the dying stages.
That resulted in a titanic last-lap struggle and last-corner collision from which Hamilton just gained the upper hand to cross the line by centimetres from the Brazilian.
That was a measure of his never-say-die spirit, and some reward for the majority of a 120,000-plus crowd who had lifted him in the wake of his qualifying performance on Saturday.
"I feel massively exhilarated," said Hamilton.
"The conditions made it exciting, gave us a chance to get up there, and I was able to show my true talent and skill over those early laps.
"I was the fastest on the track, even though I didn't have the best car, so that felt fantastic for me, and the fans were phenomenal.
"Even though we didn't win, I still feel it has been one of the best Silverstone grands prix of all time.
"Other drivers have different opinions about what energy they get from their fans, but it's all positive energy for me.
"When we did the parade lap you could see all the (McLaren) tops, the flags and the messages they put on them. It all adds up.
"I was 10th at the start, but the support I was getting it was almost as if I was on pole.
"That's the thing with the fans, whether we are winning or losing, they are with you all the way, and I just can't wait for the time we are at the front and we are able to win for them."
Credit: ESPN STAR (www.espnstar.com)
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