Hamilton joy at return to winning ways

Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his delight at winning a race, the first time he has been on the podium since China last year.

It was the 10th win of his career and the first for a KERS car. This is a source of particular joy for engine builder Mercedes, who seem to be building up quite a marketing campaign around the KERS hybrid on their road cars. KERS was certainly a big part of the secret here, with an electric getaway from the start and a great boost when overtaking the Red Bull of Mark Webber.

McLaren have pushed very hard to get this car on the right track, with particular emphasis on the front wing.

I travelled out on the same plane as Pedro de la Rosa on Thursday an he was bringing three huge boxes of parts including a new front wing for Hamilton's car.

"It is an incredible feeling to be back here after all," said Hamilton. "It feels such a long time away, such a struggle with me and the team but as I said on the in-lap I am so proud of the guys.

"I go to the factory and see how hard everyone pushing, they never gave up and it is something very rare to see in a large group of people.

"We didn't expect to win this weekend. It bit didn't feel we had pace to win but the car felt fantastic. It's incredibly special to be back up here, not just on the podium but just to get this win.

"The car was fantastic. The team asked me to look after tyres, and through experience I was able to do that, so thanks to the guys and fans, and my family."

There is no reason why he cannot repeat in Valencia, but I think Spa will suit the Red Bulls. Nevertheless McLaren are definitely doing to be a factor in the final part of the championship and this will complicate the battle between Red Bull and Brawn.