Hamilton: I still feel like the kid from Stevenage

After a dominant Japanese Grand Prix weekend, winning at the venue for the fourth time, Hamilton also extended his championship lead over hapless title rival Sebastian Vettel to 67 points with four rounds remaining.

At the end of a perfect day at Suzuka for the Briton waxed lyrical with Sky F1 reporters, "We've had good harmony in the year but we've gone from strength to strength. If I'd had this harmony with the car at Silverstone, we could have won. But if you knew then what you knew now, you would kill everything.

"I was playing dad at tennis the other day. When he practises, he puts in a perfect serve, but as soon as it comes to the game, he messes up. I'm the other way around; I struggle in practice, but when it comes to the race, perfect serve. When it comes to the crucial moment, that's when I feel the best."

"It felt amazing out there. This track is incredible. With the downforce we have, it's incredible driving here. I was really trying to make sure I was challenging myself. I was living on the edge of the tyres all the time.

"This is the best track on our calendar. Monaco and Singapore great too, But I love they haven't ruined it with too much runoff. That's how all the race tracks should be."

"When I was growing up, I wanted to race at Monaco and here. It is an awesome circuit here. When I was going around the parade lap, I really wanted to stop, take a moment and walk it, and think of all the great drivers who have driven here."

"When you think of the days when Ayrton was racing here. I still feel like the kid from Stevenage racing at Rye House. It was so far away for me then. Even though I'm here, they're still there. It doesn't feel real," admitted the 33-year-old.

The stats after his 225th grand prix weekend are massively impressive with 80 poles, 131 podiums of which 71 were victories.

On Sunday, Hamilton won the race by over 12 seconds, his ninth victory of this campaign, the fourth in a row and as a result, he now leads the championship by 67 points with four rounds remaining.

He now needs to score eight points at the next round in Austin, Texas to seal the deal in two weeks time.

Hamilton relished every moment in the cockpit at Suzuka, "I loved it. The whole weekend's been incredibly strong from the team. A great one-two shows the team's strength in depth. This is the best track in the world. I don't know why they don't make tracks like this any more. Every second of the ruin was great fun."

"I wasn't able to look after the tyres the way I wanted, so I had to manage them. It's a great feeling. These guys you see at the track and the guys at the factory work so hard to create this beast."

"I'm so proud and grateful I have the chance to do what I do. I've been racing a long time, but that feels like one of the first. I take it one step at a time."

"Each week you have a positive weekend and go to another grand prix and don't know how you're going to perform. But Austin's a good track for us and I can't wait to unleash this beast there," declared Hamilton.

Last year the Mercedes driver led the championship heading to COTA by 59-points over Vettel, this year it's eight more to his credit and he could clinch the title in the States in two weeks time, as he did at the venue in 2015.