MCLAREN Mercedes team bosses have applauded Lewis Hamilton’s fantastic drive in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

After starting from a lowly 17th on the grid, the 24-year-old from Herts snatched the third step on the Interlagos podium.

And Hamilton, the 2008 Formula 1 world champion, could even have won the race had he not had a disastrous qualifying session in the rain the day before.

After watching Brawn GP’s Jenson Button claim the F1 world title from his man, McLaren Mercedes team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “Passing the champion’s baton to Jenson is of course Lewis, who performed as brilliantly as ever today.

We altered his strategy as a result of the deployment of the safety car, after which he drove a fantastic race from 17th on the grid to third at the flag.

“Had he not been stuck in traffic for a few key periods of the race, he may have finished even higher up the field.

“Certainly, his race pace was very strong.”

Norbert Haug, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, went as far as saying the Herts-born racer could have taken the Brazilian chequered flag.

He said: “Lewis drove a fantastic race from 17th on the grid onto the podium, and this certainly was the best climbing up the ranks during all the 16 races this season.

He said: “Lewis drove a fantastic race from 17th on the grid onto the podium, and this certainly was the best climbing up the ranks during all the 16 races this season.

“I’m totally convinced that he could have fought for victory today [Sunday] if he had started from the first two rows of the grid, which originally had been our plan.”

The final race of the season is the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1.