Last Updated: Mon, 26 May 2008 13:11
Lewis Hamilton says he was thinking of the late great Ayrton Senna as he won Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton put in a superb performance in the Principality at the weekend to claim the points and move to the top of the world championship standings.
The 23-year-old confessed that his victory was the highlight of his career to date and admitted that thoughts of his hero had entered his mind as he took the chequered flag.
"I was thinking of Ayrton Senna who won here so many times and it was a bit special," he said. "Even if I win here again, which I plan on doing, this is the best one. It was the most fun I've ever had in a race.
The British star almost came to grief on lap six when he hit a barrier, but, following a tyre change, he took control of the race to stand atop of the podium in Monte Carlo.
And Hamilton admitted that his emotions were running high as the race wore on.
"That was so emotional, so, so emotional," he added. "The last 20 laps seemed to last forever and I was just saying to myself 'you can do it, you can do it' and 'bring it home, bring it home'.
"I knew I just had to stay out of the walls. I had a big lead. It is my first win here, in Monaco, and to win it here from third on the grid and not from pole position is fantastic."