Hamilton: I never had a doubt in my mind

Lewis Hamilton has hailed McLaren's efforts in Canada where he says the only minor pit stops errors were his own slow getaways

Hamilton became the seventh different driver to win a grand prix this season when he took the chequered flag at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday.

The McLaren driver finished ahead of Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez having overhauled Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso to get into the lead.

And, as to be expected, it was all smiles from Hamilton in the post-race press conference where he praised McLaren's improved pit stops, revealing that the only time lost had been his own doing.

"I knew today would be a tough, tough race. I loved every single minute of it and I'm really very, very grateful," Hamilton said.

"I never had a doubt in my mind that there would not be a possibility to win.

"I was thinking they (Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso) were falling behind and I assumed they doing a one-stop so I decided to keep pushing.

"I had a couple of problems pulling away (from the pits) - it may have been my fault, I don't know.

"But otherwise the pit stops were great. Finally we got some good pit stops and of course we can keep on improving in every area."

Hamilton won the grand prix by 2.5s over Grosjean with Perez a further three off the pace. However, unlike the two behind him, Hamilton did not opt for a one-stop strategy, instead coming into the pits on two occasions.

His second stop, though, meant he was on fresher rubber when it came time to catch and overhaul Vettel and Alonso.

"I was not able to do one stop, I think I would have fallen back, so I think a two-stop was just right.

"Of course we were aware of that. We went into the race knowing we would be doing two stops and when the guys were behind me I had a feeling that Fernando would be doing one stop.

"I knew I had to make a gap while looking after the tyres, even though Fernando was picking his pace up. It was one of the best stints I had."

The 27-year-old's victory has put him at the top of the Drivers' Championship on 88 points, two ahead of Alonso with Vettel a further one point behind.

"It's still sinking in. It's been five years since I first won here but it feels just as good.

"I'm massively proud of the team for continuing to push.

"It feels great to finally be here on the top step. It feel like one of best races I've had for a very long time."

Source: Planet-F1