Taking title lead shows Mercedes strength - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes has shown its strength by taking back-to-back victories to secure the drivers' championship lead for the first time this season.

The Briton led home teammate Valtteri Bottas to follow last weekend's win in Belgium with victory in the Italian Grand Prix. Having been 14 points behind Sebastian Vettel during the summer break, the two victories have seen Hamilton move three points clear of the German in the championship standings and he is relieved to finally end Vettel's spell at the top.

"It's obviously an incredibly exciting season," Hamilton said. "The last two races have been incredibly strong for us as a team. We've just gone from strength to strength and really shown a real strength in depth. Just the way we've come together this second half so far is exceptional. I'm not really sure why the pace of the Ferrari was not closer as it usually is, particularly like it was in practice.

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"Today the car felt fantastic, particularly on that first stint. I guess because we had a bit of breathing space behind us initially, it was easier to extend the life of the tire. In the past if we hadn't had a Ferrari behind, we would have been pushed more to the limit.

"Valtteri did a fantastic job to get through, and to get a one-two here. I know it's not easy for the Italian fans to accept but ultimately we did the better job this weekend collectively as a team. But it's still close, and still a long, long way to go.

"We go to another track next [Singapore] that the Ferraris should be quite quick with the general downforce they are able to add on. The fight will continue. But it is amazing to come and have the back-to-back wins. It's been a long, long time that Sebastian's been leading the championship. With all the ups and downs, to now be slightly ahead is a great feeling."

Having joked that "Mercedes power is definitely better than Ferrari power" while being jeered on the podium, Hamilton admitted it was additionally special to win at Ferrari's home race but paid tribute to the Italian crowd.

"To win here in Monza... It is such a historic grand prix. There are very, very few if any like it. The track is so unique in its own way in this beautiful part of the world. The fans, you could hear them roar. I would love to know how loud they are on the scale. The energy there is incredible.

"The passion that the Ferrari fans or the Italian fans have around the world even. When I go to LA for example and go to an Italian restaurant and the fans are there for Ferrari, they're all over the world. It's great to see. But there's also some of those Ferrari fans who perhaps at heart are Ferrari fans and being Italian have also spilled over to be Mercedes fans, which is much appreciated."