Hamilton ‘overwhelmed’ with Chinese victory

LEWIS HAMILTON was left “absolutely overwhelmed” after ending his eight-month Formula One victory drought with a supreme performance in yesterday’s action-packed Chinese Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver got the better of championship leader Sebastian Vettel after a race-long duel to record his 15th career win – and first since August’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Hamilton lined up third on the grid and battled past team-mate Jenson Button before overhauling pole-sitter Vettel for the lead with just four laps remaining.

Ultimately it was as much a tactical victory as it was one of power and nerve, Hamilton’s three stops to Vettel’s two proving the way to go on the new Pirelli tyres.

“I’m absolutely overwhelmed. It feels like a long, long time since I was sitting here,” said Hamilton, who is now second in the drivers’ standings, 21 points behind Vettel.

Hamilton suffered drama before the race when his car failed to start in the garage. He eventually made it out just 30 seconds before pit lane closed, and he admitted it was touch and go for a while.

“The car just wouldn’t start,” he said. “We’ve had it not start several times in the past so I thought it was nothing, but when they kept trying it was becoming more and more of a concern for everyone.”

The result saw Vettel denied a third win in a row in 2011, and a fifth dating back to last year.

“My start was not the best and for some reason it seems the left hand side of the grid is worse here than the right hand side,” said Vettel.

“It wasn’t brilliant and I lost positions to Jenson and Lewis. After that it was about being patient.”

The trio held station until just before the first round of pit stops, when things began to go awry for Button.

Moments after Vettel had passed Hamilton for second, both he and Button pitted together, only for the McLaren driver to commit the baffling error of pulling up at the Red Bull garage. The incident cost him time and Vettel moved ahead.

But his bid to remain on the hard rubber all the way to the flag following his second stop on lap 31 fell just short of success.

With Hamilton flying on his third set of option tyres, Vettel had no response and on lap 52 Hamilton pulled a brave move in turn seven and surged away to a 5.1-second advantage at the flag.