Planet-F1

No rest for Hamilton

Tuesday 8th July 2008

While Lewis Hamilton's win at Silverstone sent British motor-racing fans into a state of delirum, it has been revealed that the man himself simply went home and enjoyed a good night's sleep.

Eschewing the temptation to party after his spellbinding success on Sunday, Hamilton opted instead to return to his family's home in Stevenage after being mobbed by fans and stewards as he left the circuit.

"We were absolutely knackered. We went home, watched the race highlights and went to bed," confirmed his father, Anthony.

Aside from watching the highlights on television, Hamilton has had little time to dwell on his performance. After a couple of hours' training on Monday morning, the McLaren driver headed to Woking for a meeting with his engineers before flying to Germany where he testing began on Tuesday morning.

"There's no time to reflect on Silverstone just yet," the youngster acknowledged. "I'm flying to Germany and will be in the car testing at Hockenheim on Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe there will be a bit of time to relax later in the summer and take a holiday but not yet."

However, Hamilton has told his website that he felt "humbled" by the praise he has received in the wake of his astonishing win at Silverstone.

"To be included up there with greats such as Stewart and Senna - not that I would claim that myself of course - is one of the reasons why I've pushed so hard throughout my motorsport career.

"But it hasn't really sunk in yet: sometimes you need a night and a day before you really start to feel the impact of all you've achieved. And you can't really rate one drive against others; people told me it reminded them of Ayrton at Donington in 1993 but I couldn't really say - what an unbelievable comparison though."