LEWIS HAMILTON said he was in dreamland after he matched his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna's victory tally with an exhibition drive at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Hamilton appeared to have his work cut out after he qualified behind pole-sitter Nico Rosberg for the race at a sun-drenched Suzuka.
But despite starting on the dirtier side of the track, Hamilton blasted out of his blocks, and when he drew level with Rosberg heading into the long, sweeping, opening right-hander there was only going to be one winner.
Hamilton muscled his way past the German, who ran out of room, fell off the track, and slipped back to fourth. There was nothing wrong with Hamilton's move and it summed up a season which the Briton, despite his setback in Singapore seven days ago, has utterly dominated.
While Rosberg battled back to finish second, he trails Hamilton by 48 points in the drivers' championship with only 125 left to race for.
Hamilton, it seems, is destined to join Senna, who won all three on his world titles here in Japan, Sir Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda in the pantheon of all-time Formula One greats with a hat-trick of championship triumphs.
And, after equalling Senna's tally of 41 career victories, the Briton said: "I am so happy right now. For me to come to a race which I use to love watching Ayrton drive and to match his wins – I can't really describe it. It does not feel real at the moment.
"I have struggled at this circuit through all the years that I have come here. When you go through the corners here it is flowing, it's like sailing. I wish I could share the feeling with you.
"Knowing this would be the race when I would equal Ayrton, who won here and had quite an interesting time here, made for quite an emotional day. I am not a teary guy, so I am just full of joy, happiness and light."
Hamilton's Mercedes team were left scratching their heads after their off-colour performance in Singapore, but the Silver Arrows, who have dominated Formula One for the best part of two seasons, returned to their emphatic best in Suzuka and sealed their eighth one-two of the campaign.
Hamilton led every lap in and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he could clinch his third world championship with races to spare.
Rosberg looks like a beaten man. He did well to pass the Williams of Valtteri Bottas at the chicane and jump ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who completed the podium places, at the final round of pit stops. But Rosberg, winner of just three races this year in comparison to Hamilton's eight, knows this might have been his last opportunity.
He said: "Lewis got a better start. It was good battle into turn one, he had the inside and he made it stick. That was the end of it there.
"Fourth would not have been acceptable and second was the best possible outcome after that. I had to win today but it did not work out."
It did not work out for struggling McLaren either. Fernando Alonso, who finished 11th, aimed several public swipes at Honda in the form of derogatory radio messages, while Jenson Button crossed the line in 16th.
Alonso tweeted afterwards: "When we are fighting in group is difficult, we all want to win, and sometimes transmit the team radios, but it should be private chats.
"No-one should have any doubt that I have three years with McLaren and my career in F1 will end with this team, hopefully winning everything."
McLaren's Ron Dennis, who overcame a virus to face a bloodthirsty media, also insisted both drivers will be racing for him next season but his once great team has become something of a pantomime.
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