Lewis Hamilton says it's a "great feeling" to be finally leading the championship, having taken his sixth victory of the season at Monza to claim a three-point lead over Sebastian Vettel.
The Ferrari driver has led the championship since the season opener in Australia, but back-to-back victories for Hamilton in Belgium and Italy has swung the points in the Briton's favour, but Hamilton warns it could be a short-lived.
"We go to a track [Singapore] where Ferrari should be quick, with the downforce," he said. "So the fight will continue.
"For a long, long time Sebastian has been leading the championship, to be ahead now with all the ups and downs is a great, great feeling.
"We've given it absolutely everything we’ve got. Ferrari might be a little bit quicker, maybe when we get to a couple of tracks where it’s maximum downforce – in Hungary they were exceptionally quick on qualifying laps. But I think it’s going to continue to be really close between us. Beast mode all the way to the last chequered flag!"
Speaking about his victory on Sunday, Hamilton said it was a massive team effort helped by Ferrari's lack of pace during a wet qualifying session.
"I think it’s all just to do with the team pulling together, trying to maximise everything from the car. And Valtteri and myself really trying to do the best we can with the car. But today the car was fantastic and really a dream to drive.
"It’s obviously an incredibly exciting season. Last two races have been incredibly strong for us as a team. Gone from strength to strength. Showing real strength in depth. It’s exceptional.
"I’m not really sure why the pace of the Ferrari was not closer, as it usually is, but the car felt fantastic today, particularly on that first stint.
"I guess because we had a bit of breathing space initially, it was easier to extend the life of the tyre. Perhaps with a Ferrari behind we would have been pushed to the limit. Ultimately we did the better job this weekend. But it’s still close, and there’s still a long, long way to go."
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