LEWIS HAMILTON realised a boyhood dream with a Monaco Grand Prix victory likely to remain the highlight of his career.
Not even a slide into the barrier on a wet Monte Carlo circuit and resultant puncture on lap six could deter the Briton from a win that elevated him back into the lead of the world title race.
Hamilton has now sensationally won three races in fo
ur seasons on the famed streets of the Principality after previously winning in Formula Three and GP2.
He also joins an exclusive club, becoming only the fifth Briton in the 59 years of the Formula One world championship to win in Monaco.
Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard – who failed to finish this time – have all previously won the world's most famous motor sport event, with Hamilton the first Englishman to do so since Hill in 1969. Now the 23-year-old can add his name to the illustrious list, with his win so impressive after he started from third on the grid before overcoming the early setback with relative ease.
Naturally, there were a few nervy moments along the way given the conditions before he took the chequered flag, sparking jubilant scenes.
As far as Hamilton is concerned, nothing will top such a win as he said: "This is the highlight of my career, and I'm sure it will be the highlight for the rest of my life. To win here is an incredible feeling. It is very emotional – the last 20 laps were very emotional.
"Towards the end, I was just trying to keep the emotions in, keep calm on the track and saying to myself, 'I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!' "I just told myself, 'Don't put it in the wall, no more safety cars, just bring it home'.
"After crossing the line, knowing I had won, on the in-lap I was screaming my head off. I made sure the radio was off, but I was just so happy that I was able to pull it off."
The rain and slippery conditions caused numerous incidents, most notably accounting for Raikkonen ten minutes from the end of the full two-hour time limit.
The Finn just managed to keep his Ferrari out of the barriers on exiting the tunnel, but only succeeded in running into the back of Adrian Sutil when they were fourth and fifth at the time.
Raikkonen eventually finished out of the points in ninth, losing the title initiative to Hamilton by three points. With Robert Kubica second for BMW Sauber and Ferrari's Felipe Massa third after starting on pole, just six points separate the top four in the championship.
Red Bull's Mark Webber was fourth, with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel collecting his first points of the season in fifth. Rubens Barrichello was sixth in his Honda.
The full article contains 486 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
