THIS HAS BEEN MY DREAM WIN

From Back Page generally been a good track for me.’ This was Hamilton’s first win in Sao Paulo, although he clinched the title here on the last lap in 2008, when he needed to finish fifth to beat Felipe Massa. Victory meant a great deal to him because it is the home city of his hero, the late Ayrton Senna. Hamilton wore a crash helmet incorporating the Brazilian legend’s own design, though he had to replace it during one of the stops because it was leaking water. ‘This has been my dream since I saw Senna race when I was very young,’ said Hamilton, whose win completed a hat-trick of triumphs in four weeks. ‘This experience is so surreal after all the years of trying to win this grand prix and all the emotions that go with it. ‘But I was genuinely chilling up front. When it rains it is usually good for me. There were no mistakes, no issues, no spins. It was interesting hearing about so many people having slips, but I didn’t have any.’ It was a difficult afternoon for the race organisers, with some drivers calling for the grand prix to be abandoned. Hamilton was not among their number. ‘It is understandable for the first red flag with everyone going off,’ he said. ‘I don’t really understand why the second stop came. But safety comes first and obviously it was thought it was needed. ‘This is Formula One and the rain is the trickiest condition. If people didn’t make mistakes, it would be too easy and everyone could do it. ‘We run at serious speeds and there is a lot of water to disperse by the tyres and they struggle the faster we go.’ Another driver who wanted to carry on was Max Verstappen, who finished third for Red Bull with a raft of pulsating moves. His father and former racer Jos spoke for everyone watching when he said: ‘I must say he surprised me today. I’ve seen many races he did, and today it was incredible.’ It was a bad day for the two other British drivers. McLaren’s Jenson Button finished last after a fraught afternoon on the radio and Renault’s Jolyon Palmer damaged his car and retired. Rosberg, who would have been crowned world champion had he triumphed yesterday, added: ‘It didn’t go my way with the win. Lewis did a great job and it was very difficult out there. I can live with second today.’