“I was lucky enough to do it with McLaren. It was always a really good
boost for them to go into this period of time relaxed, knowing we’d had a
win.
“I feel it will do the same for this team, the first time they have had
that feeling going into a break.”
In revealing he had received a picture of everyone celebrating back at the
factory in Brackley, he added: “That shows what a tonic it is.
“Maybe now we’ll have a better chance of moving forward in the next few
races after the break.
“The championship is definitely in the back of my mind, but going to the
next race (in Belgium on August 25) you never know what the tyres are going
to do.
“Yesterday was the hottest race of the whole year and we put in a
performance like we did.
“It definitely gives me confidence for the next nine races we can
continue moving forward and have some good opportunities to win.
“So I’m really looking forward to the second half of the season, which
is usually my favourite part.”
As for Hamilton, who has been suffering personally following his recent
much-publicised break-up from long-term girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, the
win also does him some good – at least temporarily.
Hamilton, who dedicated his success to Scherzinger, said: “For the next
few days it will definitely keep me on a high.
“It’s just a natural high you get, a bit of a Band Aid that will cover
me for some time.
“Once that’s over I’m just going to train over the break. Normally I
don’t train much at this time, maybe a little as I mostly enjoy and relax.
“But this time I’m going to train intensely, continue doing what I did
last week, just get my head down and hopefully return stronger for the
second half of the season.”
Team principal Ross Brawn believes Hamilton produced a performance that
underlined exactly why Mercedes opted to lure him away from McLaren.
“He was tremendous,” said Brawn.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve in terms of telling you what the car
is like and sometimes that’s good because it provokes a strong reaction from
the team.
“But from setting the car up, qualifying was great and the way he raced
was just sensational.
“He dealt with people straight away, there was no hesitation. He had two
or three overtaking manoeuvres he had to do to keep the strategy going, and
he just executed them perfectly – with no mercy.
“To get that race win is an important step, and there’s absolutely no
reason why more won’t follow.
“He showed faith in us at the end of last year when people speculated on
the wisdom of his move.
“I hope we are now starting to show his faith was justified. It’s still
very early days, but it’s very encouraging.”
As for a potential title charge, Brawn added: “The team had a very strong
weekend. If we replicate that there’s no reason why not.
“It’s still open, and certainly we won’t be giving up.”
(Edited by Nick Pearce)